Kismet
by Zo One
Summary: Something sinister holds the Galaxy under sway. A lone scientist discovers that the only hope for the Galaxy lies in an ancient relic, a message, and the faith he lost years ago. AU AkuRoku; SoRiku, Cleon, others. Sci-Fi!
1. Chapter 1

**Kismet**

There were voices in his head.

They always told him nonsense things. Sometimes they told him ominous things; sometimes they eerily said nothing at all. It was always the same plethora of voices, an entourage of half-spoken orders, which made him believe he was insane.

Usually they spoke to him at night; usually when he was relaxing after a long day of experimentation in the labs, or unbearably hot days under the sun, field testing subjects. But when he dreamt, he thought he saw faces accompany the voices. Never could he remember what the faces looked like when he woke. But then again, he never tried to.

One morning in particular he woke with a start. Sweat beaded at his temples and under his pits, making his light-weight pajama set uncomfortable and soggy. With a grimace he peeled his undershirt off and tossed it across his small, staple example apartment.

It was another unbearably hot morning that would only get hotter. It was one of the many drawbacks to living on a desert-planet, but this is where his job was; and the view wasn't too bad either.

Agitated, he pulled off his shorts and tossed them into the small heap of clothes accumulating by his door and moved to his window, opening the shudders with a sigh. Outside two of the planet's suns were up and shining, the third would be rising in another hour or two. They shone blindingly through the enviro-glass that domed over the massive, technology-driven city. Faintly, if he looked hard enough, he could see the end of the glass and metal city and the beginning of the blue sand desert, the border always sweeping and shifting with the wind.

He groaned and hit his head against the window. The city's climate control mechanism was – and had been, malfunctioning for the past week. Some days he didn't know if he'd wake up half baked or half frozen.

With a sigh he left his spot by the window, pulling on soggy handfuls of hair as he made his way to shower and dress for work.

Work. He grimaced. The last thing he wanted to do was go to work. What he wanted to do was get his hands on that climate control machine and just _fix _it once and for all. But they would never allow him to do that. The climate mechanism is _old _technology. If anything they'd make him design a brand new climate moderator and…

His mind trailed off with brilliant possibilities at that thought. If he could get his hands on the schematics of the current mechanism, adjust the reqs so it would run properly, maybe even tweak a few things… A small, mischievous smile spread across his thin, tanned face, before dying away almost as soon as it came; because there would be no impromptu work on the climate control. Instead they'll have him sit at his happily cluttered desk working on some stupid new street sweeper that greeted passerby's, or even, Goddess forbid, have him work outside testing a newer model of something or other.

He missed having a choice in what he could pour his genius into.

Another sigh fell from his pink lips as he finished dressing. Making sure he had everything he needed: keycard, credit bit, Commune, and he was off, walking the short distance to his place of work. Quanta-Robotics.

Everyone seemed affected by the outstanding heat of the day. People drug themselves along lethargically, giving slow, half-assed greetings to others. He tried to ignore the agitated members of the society in body armor, whether it be mercenaries, military stationed to keep the peace, or some random lout looking for a quick stay. He just wasn't in the mood to witness or experience a mauling today.

Inside Quanta-Robotics, the feel of air conditioning and the smell of sweat were prominent. Even though it wasn't much cooler inside than it was outside, he let out a small breath of relief. The elevator was cramped, and he avoided the other scientists as if they had some contagiously terminal illness. It wasn't that he didn't like them as people; he just didn't like _people_, period. No matter their race, attributes, gender, genetics; he disliked them all equally – except for a few others that he simply detested.

With disgust he eyed a fresh stack of manila folders that had been piled on his desk. His desk was pushed further into the corner of the wide, open room, than any of the others that joined him on this floor. He'd hoped that the other scientists would take it as a sign to leave him the fuck alone, but he'd no such luck. They were all idiots anyway.

He sat down with a small huff, slender fingers rifling through a pile of scraps – mostly consisting of bits of wires, metal and paper, before digging out his favorite military-issued all-weather pen and opened the first folder in the pile. He made a few notes in the margins in his chicken scratch handwriting, trying not to be as rude in his remarks as he'd like to be.

He'd only gotten halfway through the manila folders when he heard someone clear their throat almost next to his ear. His large, blue eyes rolled with unbidden annoyance as he looked up from his work.

Immediately he recognized two of the three people before him. One was the boss of his department, and the other was the owner of Quanta-Robotics itself. The third just seemed to be some nerdy idiot who looked too smug for his own good. He didn't bother masking his irritation.

"Dr. Roxas Yevon?"

He gave them a blank stare. Of course they knew who he was; otherwise they wouldn't have approached him in the first place. Besides, he did have a nameplate on his desk – he did a quick sweep with his eyes over his messy desk – somewhere. "Yes?" he answered, finally deciding to humor the men before him grudgingly.

The department manager stepped forth, a haphazard bundle of papers and folders nestled in an arm. "We're here on behalf of one of your co-workers, Dr. Dreg Fulle. Do you recognize him?"

Roxas sent the man a bored glance. He knew the guy, somewhat. He didn't know his name – until now – but he did know the guy was dumber than sand and was a Genetic freak. "Yes," he said, flicking idly at a small pile of crushed paper bits.

"We've complaints that you demean and belittle your co-workers in your reports. Racial degradation is _not_ tolerated in this company – as you should know." Now the head of the business spoke and he felt more inclined to listen to this guy, as it was his money that was filling Roxas' bank.

The small, blond scientist sighed. How many times has he been through this over the past three years? Maybe six. "Do you have proof of my… 'demeaning and belittling' comments?" Of course he knew that they were going to pull out a multitude of reports – like the ones he was currently filling out on his desk. And with this Dreg fellow, he knew there would be plenty to choose from. The guy was a complete imbecile.

With a flick of the wrist, the department manager produced a folder from his stack and set it in front of Roxas. He picked it up with a look of mock interest and skimmed the highlighted sections. Is all he saw were a few references to the guy being an idiot and nothing else – not even comments about the guy being a filthy Genetic ape; which he would have liked to put. "And? What's wrong with this?"

The owner looked over the papers quickly, obviously getting annoyed and pressed for time. Roxas assumed he was likely a very busy man. The man pointed to one of the highlighted sections. "Here, you openly call him an idiot, with references throughout about stupidity."

"Yes, well, that's nothing racially demeaning. In no way did I accuse him of having genetic faults and so forth and so forth." Roxas twirled his seemingly fragile hand.

"But it is uncalled for," the department manager started.

Roxas groaned. It was like grade school all over again. He was a bona fide _genius_; he didn't have to put up with shit like this. "Okay," He picked up the paper with narrowed eyes. "I completely understand that experimentation on Subject T-384 was a failure. I also congratulate you on your inability to follow basic protocol set for all field testing, and since this is also your third failure due to this reason, Dr. Dreg Fulle, this should also warrant you a pat on the back. Well done!" The sarcasm that dripped from his voice was almost tangible.

The Genetic man began to color in the face, from embarrassment or fury, Roxas wasn't sure – nor cared for that matter. The head of Quanta-Robotics plucked the file from Roxas' lithe fingers, reading over it himself – most likely for the first time. "I see," the man said at last. Roxas went back to his reports, looking as bored as ever. "Dr. Dreg, I'll see you in my office in three hours." And with that he left, highlighted report in hand and the department manager trailing after him like a kicked dog.

Much to his chagrin, the nerdy and very pissed looking, Genetic fool was still standing beside his desk. The Dr. leaned down to Roxas' sitting level, clenched fists knocking over a few precariously placed things. "Listen here, _Dr. Roxas_," the man seethed straight into Roxas' ear. The blond didn't even bother holding back his look of utter disgust. "This is not over. I will expose you, drag you down to the ground and spit on your discarded Aven body."

Roxas felt Dr. Dreg spittle a little on his cheek and tried to repress the urge to throw up. Instead he forced eye contact with the man, his lithe fingers moving diligently into the man's pocket unnoticed. "I'd like to see you try," he said simply before roughly pushing the fuming man away from him. He knew that even if the stupid man did find a way to expose him, then the head of the business would just shake his head at him; maybe give him a slap on the wrist and say, "Get back to work." Dr. Dreg shot him an awful look filled to the brim with hatred before stalking off. Roxas chuckled slightly to himself, tossing a little rectangular-shaped credit bit in the air and catching it. "It definitely isn't over."

-o-

That night after work, Roxas felt more chipper than he had in quite a while. Dr. Dreg had been fired, Roxas had his credit bit, frozen all of the man's bank accounts – which gave him about thirty six hours to do as he pleased with the man's money, and was contemplating a night on the town.

But he really didn't feel up for it. It was still too hot in the city, a few of the armed 'citizens' looked to have a trigger itch, and something in his gut told him that going out tonight would be a distinctively _bad _idea. That and he was just plan ass tired. So he drug himself the short distance back to his apartment complex, up the two flights of stairs, and into his bed.

He struggled out of his clothes before laying in a heap on his bed, absently glaring out the window at the sun that wouldn't set for another two hours. After a few minutes his eyes closed and he gave a small sigh of resignation, allowing his body to finally stop and relax after a rather unpleasant day.

-o-

Images roared through his mind with vivid ferocity. His conscience scattered, reeling from the sheer numbers and audacity of the visions he saw at once. A girl, maybe fifteen, with hair as black as night, spoke. He couldn't make out what she said before she disappeared. He saw mountains of trees, oceans of grass, cities of blinding lights, people – some more than others, and cloudy skies with a warmth by his side.

"_Help me…" _ He heard those words over and over, until they no longer made sense.

He woke up gasping, shivering violently until he thought the muscles in the back of his neck would snap in half. Slowly he pulled his blankets around himself. It would seem that the climate control was working again; working _too _well. He let out a shuddering sigh and rubbed at his sweaty temples.

How was it possible for a bunch of nonsense images to seem so _real_? But no matter how hard he tried to forget it all, the phrase "help me" and an image of a girl with dark hair walking away from him plagued his shaken mind.

"I'm working too hard," he told himself irritably as he got up to take a hot shower. He was glad he had the day off and took his time unthawing his frozen limbs under the cascade of warm water. That was it. He was working too hard at a job he hated too much. For what it was worth, he loved working on and creating robotics and complex technology. He just didn't like being told what he could and could not do – and having to work with a crowd of idiots, that annoyed him too.

He dressed in the warmest clothes he owned: a red, thin long sleeve shirt and a simple pair of pants. He pocketed his normal day to day necessities, key card, credit bit, Commune, with the addition to Dreg's credit bit, and headed out the door. He decided to go out and blow some of Dr. Dreg's money before any real concern arose and they cracked the encryption Roxas had put on the man's bank accounts. Good luck to them when they try.

The first thing he went to buy was a jacket. A local clothing store had recently ordered and received a shipment of new, heavier jackets once the climate mechanism began to malfunction. And for that he was grateful as he walked out with a thicker jacket, white in color with stripes of checkered patterns on the sleeves.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he felt there was something wrong. Some mercs looked itchier than they had been in a very long time, while others looked as if it were just another day to stand around and point guns at people. The hairs on the back of his neck seemed to stand on end, but he discounted it on being cold and pulled the hood to his jacket over his head and went to eat.

He decided to stop at a small bakery and grab some pastries to go. Staying in one place too long put him on edge. Roxas knew he was acting like one of the idiots at Quanta-Robotics, but with the frequent temperature changes and a small, local economy crisis, things on Duune were tense. That and he really didn't like the sudden increase of armed persons in the street.

Half a strawberry crepe – a rare (and expensive) treat on this planet – was shoved in his mouth as he walked hurriedly down a street that was devoid of travelers more than normal.

Something brushed against his arm roughly and he skittered away, crumbs sticking to the sides of his mouth and chin. Wide, bewildered eyes scanned the road, immediately looking for anything that resembled danger before he regarded the girl that stood before him. "Watch where you're walking," he almost snarled out. The tension of the city was definitely getting to him.

The girl only followed him when he began to walk off, oddly silent, but he could see her from the corner of his eye. He turned a corner sharply, standing in the open mouth way of a rather secluded alley. "What do you want?" he bit out when the girl stopped in front of him.

She had a distant look on her face, as if her deep blue eyes were seeing past him even though she held eye contact with him. Her black hair was cropped and framed her face neatly and is all he could think was how _fake _she looked. "There are three guns aimed for you," she said in the strangest accent Roxas had ever heard. How did she roll her R's like that?

But what she said hit him suddenly. "Excuse me?" His eyes widened in shock and he immediately ducked down, futilely attempting to make himself smaller. "Who the fuck are you?"

She shrugged and Roxas noticed for the first time that this girl was severely underdressed for the cold day. Maybe she thought it would be hot, assuming Duune _was _a desert planet after all. But she wore a tight leather shirt and loose leather pants and, much to his disgust, was barefoot. "Are you high? Did you snort some Eezo or something?"

With no other reaction than an even look, he assumed he was right. Of course that'd be his luck. Some user would come up to him – flying out of their head – and tell him he was going to get shot. He'd almost taken her seriously for a moment.

Angrily he stalked off, only half surprised that the girl followed him. He'd let her for now, but if she tried to follow him to his apartment, he'd push her down the stairs.

"This is not joke," she said in her awkward accent. Roxas shot her an incredulous look over his shoulder.

If he could be any more freaked out, he would have vomited. "You're the joke here. Get away from me." He groaned in disbelief. That was it; he was calling in sick tomorrow. Say he caught a case of Hybrid Influenza.

There was the faintest downwards twitch of the girls face. "You owe me," she said before hurling herself at the young Aven scientist.

He would have screamed, or attempted to scamper away, if he'd had the time. But this girl, whoever she was, was abnormally fast, tackling him to the ground before he could even blink. He was about to throw some very thought out and offensive insults, but then he heard it: gunfire. He tried to curl up and hide, but the girl that hovered over him wouldn't let him move. He was going to die, he knew it. He'd bet anything that one of his co-workers hired some mercs to kill him. It wouldn't surprise him one bit.

With trembling lips, he closed his eyes and prayed silently to himself. He heard metallic clinking noises, but refused to open his eyes to see what was happening. If he was going to die – even though he _really _didn't want to – he wanted it to be quick and painless.

As soon as he felt the girl's weight move from him, he rolled away as fast as he could and stumbled behind a dumpster to protect himself as well as he could. "I don't want to die," he whined to himself quietly. He heard shouts, a distinctive yell of, "What the fuck!" and everything eventually went quiet.

They probably killed that girl, he realized with a sudden pang of guilt. She was just some crazy user who happened to be flying out of her mind. And by the way she dressed she was probably just some nobody prostitute just trying to get by. Not everyone could be a genius. He began to pray fervently to himself once more, understanding that now he was next in line.

The dumpster was drug away from the concrete wall and he folded further into himself. "Goddess when I die, accept me with open arms, knowing that I have –" He looked up abruptly to see the girl standing at the other side of the dumpster, watching him intently. Slowly he uncurled himself and peeked around the side of his safety to see three men lying in a broken heap in the middle of the public transit road.

"Who the hell _are _you?" he asked, half in awe, half in fear.

The girl shook her head. "No time. We must leave. There are more; many more."

Roxas shot her an overly suspicious look, but the way he saw it, he was either going to take his chances with some girl who was most likely flying – but had probably saved his life, or chance it out with the multitude of mercenaries that seemed to be out for him. He decided to take his chances with the girl; it looked like he wouldn't die as fast that way. "Okay, fine! Tell me you at least have a plan." He couldn't help the frustration and sarcasm that spouted from his mouth. It was reflexive.

"Get to ship. Get far away." Her strange, guttural accent was beginning to rub him the wrong way. She sounded like… some smooth talking primitive life form. It just didn't seem right – or real for that matter.

His eyes narrowed at the proposition, but for some reason he felt that she was right. He was in danger as long as he remained on Duune or until he found and stopped whoever was trying to kill him. And that wasn't very likely. He may be a genius, but he wasn't a combat specialist. That and he was Aven…

"We must go, now!" The raven-haired girl grabbed his wrist and took off in a sprint towards the docking station.

Roxas struggled to keep up with the girl's maddening pace. "I… I need to stop – at… at my apartment!" He tried to run off to the right, but the girl's grip was tighter than vice and he almost squealed in pain when he was snatched back. "I'm not fucking joking! I… There are things I need!"

Despite his protests, the girl's grip remained strong, and he soon ran out of breath to yell at her with. He faltered behind her breakneck pace, and thought about just letting her drag him along the road. She certainly seemed capable of it, and maybe it would hurt his screaming legs less.

Right when he finally convinced himself to give up and just stop running, gunfire echoed through the streets around him. A plasma-bullet whizzed past his head – too close for his comfort – before hitting the side of a building, leaving a blackened scorch mark in its place. With renewed vigor – and a rush of adrenaline, he ran faster.

He could hear the yells and screams of the people around him as they ran through crowds. Sometimes he thought he heard his name being yelled before another barrage of gunfire ensued.

He tried to keep up with the girl, tried not to scream, panic, or trip whenever he heard or saw bullets. But suddenly the girl took a sharp right, turning on a dime at the same speed she had been running. Before Roxas knew what had happened, his arm was jerked almost out of its socket with his entire body following suit. His feet lost their ground and he fell with a yelp, the girl merely dragged him along without looking back or hesitation.

Being drug was decidedly more painful – if his abused legs told him anything. Reaching down within himself, he forced his feet and legs to start running again, once he managed to pull himself up off the pavement.

Roxas was furious by the time they made it to the docked ships. The only thing that kept his aching limbs going was the treat of almost being shot – multiple times – and the screaming crowds of people around him. It made the situation feel more real and that more dangerous.

A metallic blue ship caught his eye ahead. It had a retro-future design, was a bit on the small side – at least compared to the luxury cruise liners that filled the station twice a year – and it's ramp was already descending to the ground, waiting to welcome them into safety. He would have breathed out a sigh of relief if he wasn't so busy gasping painfully for air.

The girl seemed to pick up her pace, if that was even possible, as she rounded up and began her sprint up the smooth, saline ramp with Roxas in tow. He could hear the gunshots and plasma bullets clinking against the metal of the ship, only to be stopped without doing damage. The ramp slid back up towards the gaping entrance, already at Roxas' heels before it dropped out from under his feet and he felt himself fall briefly before the girl yanked him into the cabin of the ship and the doors sucked closed right behind him.

He dropped to the floor of the metal ship, shaken to the core and more exhausted than he'd ever been in his entire life. He pressed his forehead to the cold metal floor, feeling the sweat drip from his brow and his limbs tremble helplessly beneath him. The girl hovered over him slightly, the same even expression adorning her face since he'd first saw her.

"Take us to Alkatoj," he said with a shaky breath. The girl gave a stiff nod before turning on her heel. She seemed to hesitate for the briefest of moments before snatching something off of a small, nearby table surface further in the cabin before almost gently folding his hands around a disc shaped object.

Without explanation, she turned and left, heading towards the cockpit. Briefly the blond wondered if the girl was even old enough to pilot, but that thought soon vanished from his mind when he heard the faint noise of bullets hitting the side of the ship. He winced slightly and shuffled away from where the noise was loudest.

The ship around him hummed and whirred as it started, and it lurched so suddenly that Roxas fell back from his crouching position to the floor. His stomach lurched and he barely contained a groan. He spotted a couple of tables that jutted out from the glossy convex walls of the ship. He crawled over to one of the stools and pulled himself up and sat with a long sigh. He didn't think he could think back on a single thing that happened today without breaking down and falling to pieces.

Idly he turned the disc that the girl had handed him over in his hands a few times. It looked to be a severely outdated holodisc model. He thought about just tossing it aside and pounding his head against the industrial strength titanium table until he woke up only to find he had had another one of those crazy, realistic dreams.

But his temples were still pounding with the sound of his erratic heartbeat, and he didn't feel like inflicting more pain upon himself at the moment. Instead he examined the holodisc more, finding the on mechanism and flipping it on. After a few moments of no response from the device he deemed it as broken and his curiosity drifted from it. If he had his tools, then he might have been able to fix it, but since the girl never let him stop at his apartment…

He took in an angry breath before loosening it slowly. With his luck, there would have been mercenaries patrolling his apartment, just waiting for him to walk through the door and shoot him in the head. Not wanting to dwell on morbid possibilities, he stood once the ship's flight had evened out and he could stand without issue.

The cabin to the ship, he noticed, was well made and split into three areas. One with tables and cabinets, one with a full functional kitchen – he'd even been surprised to find running water, and a large hull with six beds bunked three on each wall. He was even more surprised to find an extra room and a bathroom. Maybe this had been some kind of small luxury liner back in the day? It was very well maintained, he'd give it that.

With a small frown he opened the refrigerator, only to find that the cool box inside was completely empty – not even a single container or crumb within. Slightly panicked, he moved to the cabinets and opened them, only to be greeted by the slimmest film of dust inside. There was no food, he realized with a blank look of shock and panic slapped onto his thin, tan face.

He had no food, no extra clothes, there was no bedding – everything suddenly seemed extremely wrong. Alkatoj was a two day trip along the Galactic Highway and the nearest planet to Duune.

Angrily he stomped off towards the cockpit, pounding at the sliding metal door until it opened soundlessly under his fist. He'd had an entire speech ready at his tongue, but before he could even let off the first word it died in his mouth at what he saw in the darkened room before him.

"What the _fuck_!"

-o-


	2. Chapter 2

**Kismet**

"What the _fuck_!" Reflexively he took a step backwards, his tired legs protesting slightly at the ready-to-run stance.

In the center of the spacious cockpit, the raven haired girl was suspended in air; wires and cords protruded from the ceiling, walls, and floor and plunged into her body. He thought maybe for a second that she was dead, that some horrific accident had occurred that made the ship stab her relentlessly. He shook his head. What a stupid idea.

Slowly the girl's head began to pivot until she was almost facing him, her blue eyes glowing faintly in the slight dim of the room. He stubbornly fought the urge to get the fuck away when he noticed that her head had turned almost one-hundred-eighty degrees.

His mouth opened and closed, fighting to speak, before he blurted, "What the fuck _are _you?"

The girl seemed to regard him with dead, glowing eyes. Her mouth opened and to Roxas it looked like a deep, empty void. "I am Xion," she said and Roxas shuddered. He looked around uneasily. Maybe it was just him, maybe having almost died on several occasions over the course of the day had hyposensitized him to his surroundings, but he could have _sworn _the ship itself had spoken to him.

His mind reeled, and he shifted from his preparatory running stance uncomfortably. Xion… He was pretty sure he'd never heard of a Xion race. Quickly he thought of every race he knew: Aven, Genetic, Synth, Morph, Quu, Doro, Sloth, and Hume… Maybe Xion was a sub-race? Angrily he pressed the palm of his hand into his eye. Of course Xion was her _name_. He hissed in an irritated breath. "I said _what _are you, not _who_!" For a moment he couldn't believe he was arguing with someone – or thing – that should be dead or ripping him to pieces.

There was a faint movement of her shoulders to indicate a shrug of carelessness, like there wasn't a huge difference between who and what.

"I am Xion," she repeated, sounding more bored than anything, "What that is – I do not know."

A deafening silence roared over the two of them. Roxas was shocked and confused. How could someone _not _know what they are? The girl took the silence as the end of the conversation and her head pivoted eerily back forward. Roxas' own neck ached by watching her do it.

"We reach Alkatoj in forty hours." Her accent was thick and seemed to be magnified by the echo he thought he heard from the walls around him.

He frowned. There was no food on the ship, he'd only eaten half of a desert the entire day, and now he had to wait forty hours before being able to eat? Assuming he'd be able to find anything to eat on Alkatoj – and if he wasn't dead. "That holodisc you gave me is broken," he said out of stubbornness and the want to whittle the time away.

If it were possible, the room seemed to grow slightly darker, masking the dark haired girl further into the silhouettes of the wires. "Yes, I know this."

"If you knew…" he trailed off before running a shaking hand through his blond tresses. "Can't you fix it?"

There was a pregnant silence before he barely heard a simple, "No."

Slowly he pulled a pink lip between his teeth and nibbled slightly as he thought. "I can fix it –" Suddenly the wires in the room seemed to spring to life, quivering and flexing around the girl. He fought back a gasp of surprise when the girl, Xion, was in front of him, head cocked to the side and masses of cords trembling about her form. The proximity of the girl was intimidating, but he'd never admit that aloud. Instead he held his ground when her face came unbearably close to his, as if she were inspecting a sort of defective test subject. "If I had the proper tools," he finished evenly.

Xion seemed to deflate slightly and backed away from his petite form agonizingly slow. "Where must we find tools?"

He thought he heard a trace of anxiety or desperation in her near monotone voice, but pushed the thought aside just as quickly as he'd thought it. "In Alkatoj," he confirmed with a firm nod of his head.

There was silence in the room once more, except for the humming of the ship. The girl had retreated back to the center of the room, the wires that supported her writhing and squirming with life. "We reach Alkatoj in twenty eight hours," she said, her accent smoothing the words over. Roxas grimaced, but refrained from jumping in joy at the extreme reduction in travel time. Instead he nodded once again before exiting the room, letting out a sigh of relief as soon as the doors slid shut behind him.

In all of his life, he'd probably only seen one or two things creepier than what he'd just witnessed. He shuddered as a few icy fingers trailed down his spine, despite his jacket. He sat back down on a stool and placed his head on the table, relishing the cold metal against his sticky skin.

With every fiber of his body he wholeheartedly wished he would wake up, even though something in the back of his mind told him that _this_, for once, was reality. "Some reality this is," he mumbled grumpily to himself. For a while he contented himself with wallowing in his own misfortune before his aching stomach and limbs interrupted his thoughts.

He stood, hissing in a breath of pain as he did so. Slowly he stretched out his muscles, trying to ease the lactic acid buildup from overuse. Once he felt that he was either well enough stretched out or he was going to fall over, he stood and headed for the sink in the joining room.

The faucet turned on with a bit of effort from aching muscles, but Roxas could almost feel the cool moisture of the water that began to flow in a steady stream. His best guess was that there was a water tank somewhere in the ship, along with a purifying mechanism and possibly a septic tank. He grimaced. That meant he would have to find where he could keep tabs on the flow level of both.

He scrutinized the water pouring from the faucet for a moment before simply giving in. He didn't have much choice on what water he could and could not drink. He stuck his head into the sink at an awkward angle to slurp at the water stream. It tasted old and tinny, but he didn't care. He drank and drank until his stomach stopped growling and he felt rather heavy.

Once he was finished, he turned the faucet off with more force than was strictly necessary and trudged back further into the ship to where he had seen the beds. Each one was identical, with only a thin mattress over the titanium surface. He looked at the nearest one with narrowed eyes. At least they couldn't possibly look any more uncomfortable.

With a sigh he plopped down on the bed, his nose scrunching up in distaste as puffs of dust splayed out from the mattress. He almost had to force himself to lie down and close his eyes despite the lack of sheets and blankets and the dust that seemed to permeate in his nose. As far as he was concerned, only two things made time go by quickly: sleeping, and working on complex machines in the lab. The kind that really made him think, the ones that put his skill to the test and pushed his limits until he either came out triumphant or starting over from scratch. Those were the experiments that he loved the most, but Quanta-Robotics never seemed to let him get his hands dirty anymore… not like when he was still considered a peon of the science world…

-o-

The world around him shifted. He was floating; then falling, and then there was nothing. He saw blotchy colors, moving in snake-like motions around him. His stomach dropped and he felt as if he had swallowed ice.

There was a voice ringing somewhere in the distance. He thought he recognized it as the soundless words pulled on heartstrings he didn't even know he had. But the voice was gone before he could gather anything from it.

"_He looks scrawny…"_ He felt an anger rise within his chest before it slipped away and the colors dissipated. Is all he could feel was the sudden sense of loneliness, of pain and grief that tore at him.

He woke choking on nothing. His palms were slick with sweat and his hair was damp. Taking a slow, unseeing look at his surroundings, he was able to confirm that he definitely wasn't in his apartment. He wiped his hands on the thin mattress before crawling out of the bed on shaky legs.

Mindlessly he made his way to the bathroom and took a short, cold shower that had him awake and clear minded. He nearly growled when he realized there were no towels and simply dressed himself in his clothes, trying to wring out the droplets of water from his hair with his hands.

His clothes stuck to his skin in uncomfortable ways, and he picked and pulled at his jacket and pants as he walked towards the front of the polished ship. He paused in front of the sliding doors of the cockpit, recalling everything he saw last time he was in there.

That girl, Xion, was she still in there? Did she ever go to sleep? He didn't recall waking up and seeing her at all, and she wasn't there before or after he had taken his shower. Maybe she was like a Quu and only had to eat and sleep only once a week. But she wasn't large and bulky like most Quu are. He scratched at his wet locks in irritation. This was too confusing, even for him. It was like trying to solve a five hundred piece puzzle with only four pieces.

Frustrated he kicked the doors as hard as he could, holding back a groan of pain when his toes took the brunt of the blow. "Aw, _fuck_."

The doors slid open with a small vacuum noise. He limped inside, much less surprised at the sight before him. He was pretty sure that Xion hadn't moved an inch since their last meeting. She hung in the center of the room, writhing wires supporting her limp body. Suddenly her head lifted and it began to pivot, just like last time. The deep blue glow of her eyes set uneasiness in his stomach.

"We reach Alkatoj in three hours."

He blinked at the echoing accent. "Alright…" He really didn't know what else he could say.

The girl's head didn't pivot back around, like he had expected it would, and he stood in the entrance, shifting uncomfortably back and forth, waiting for the strange being in front of him to speak. "You… can fix holodisc?"

"Uh, yeah. I said I could – therefore I can." Arrogance filled his words, but he knew them to be truthful. His chest puffed out slightly and he stood a little straighter.

There was a moment where only the whirring of machines and the occasional sound of wires tapping together could be heard. "You will stay… and fix holodisc?"

He was about to give her an annoyed answer when it hit him. As soon as they reached Alkatoj that was his chance to escape; to get away from this freaky mysterious girl and return to some semblance of normalcy. But he grimaced. Alkatoj was filled with Genetics. It was a relatively safe place, the people there were tightlipped and brash, he'd been to Alkatoj before for field testing, but they were _Genetics_. He simply despised Genetics…

"I… Sure. I'll stay and fix it. Whatever." And with that he left the room, not bothering to wait for a response. The creepy strange girl was the lesser evil. That, and she did save his life – kind of, he attempted to reason with himself.

He sat in the same spot he had just the other day, glaring at his reflection in the metal of the table. He hated how small he was compared to almost every other race. He hated how big and blue his eyes were; the set of his mouth, the curve of his brow. People called him cute and innocent, no matter how much venom he spit at them. He hated being Aven because no one would take him seriously simply because of the way he looked.

A small grumble erupted from his empty stomach and he sighed miserably before getting up to drink more tinny water. Only three more hours of torture. He thought his stomach was going to eat itself. He drank until there was only a dull ache in his belly before weakly moving back to his seat.

Never had he wished so much for something to do, even reading over the stacks of manila folders back at Quanta-Robotics would be a welcome diversion.

After staring at nothing for a while, he sat back and sighed. When they arrived at Alkatoj, his first priority was to get food, then to go shopping. He had a gut feeling that he was going to be stuck on this ship for some time, and if that were the case he didn't want to have to go without bedding, food and fucking towels.

After making an impromptu shopping list in his head, he reached out and grabbed the holodisc from the other side of the table. It was very old technology; that much was certain. He flipped it over in his hands, inspecting the latch that opened the small device. A small screw held it in place, and no matter how much he pried at it with his nails, it refused to budge.

Finally after minutes of fruitless attempt, he looked around the cabin in hopes to find something suitable enough to unscrew the latch. He frowned at the smooth corners of the tables, chairs and counters, but pulled open a cabinet with a relieved sigh. The small locking mechanism on the inside was small and flat enough to use to unscrew the holodisc's latch. It took him almost ten minutes to get the latch off. His arms protested from being held up for so long, and his head ached from the frustration of his task.

He dropped back into his seat with a pathetic groan and pushed the open holodisc out in front of him. He pressed his left temple against the cool surface as he stared at the side of the holodisc blankly. Exhausted, he waited for the pounding of his temples to stop before sitting up properly and peering inside the open cavity of the device.

It was most definitely old technology. Many of the components within couldn't be found anymore – anywhere. With slender fingers he prodded inside of it a bit, his frown deepening with every touch. A lot of the conductors and mechanisms were going to have to be replaced, which required for others to be replaced so they would all run on the same frequency.

He grimaced. It would probably be easier to build an entirely new holodisc and hook up the memory storage unit in that. Idly he fiddled with the holodisc to pass the time, but only grew more and more frustrated with the object. Whoever had built the small device had either been a genius or a complete idiot. The interior was more complex than was overly necessary, and it ran on a very old power source, probably lithium. It was going to be a project to get it the memory compatible with more modern technology, but he was pretty sure he could manage, even with the most basic of tools. It was just going to take him awhile.

Once he was sure what he was going to have to do with the holodisc, he put the latch back on and used a stubbed fingernail to screw it back in slightly, just enough to keep it closed without it becoming a hassle to open again. He stuffed it in his jacket pocket before resting his head on the table once again. Never had he been so tired and hungry in his life. With a roll of his blue eyes he ruled out dying by starvation, along with being shot and electrocuted – a slight childhood fear of his.

There was a reverberation throughout the ship and there was a distinct humming noise around him. He relaxed into the table. He'd been on enough ships to know that they had finally hit the atmosphere of the planet, meaning they were mere minutes away from the docking station in Alkatoj. Out of complete boredom, he traced a finger on the stainless table, writing out a grocery list multiple times, scowling every time turbulence made his finger jump off track.

"Non-perishable foods," he began to mutter to himself, "Blankets, can openers, sheets – what?" The ship had suddenly stopped after a quick swooping motion that made his stomach flop uneasily. The humming and whirring of the ship around him died down into silence and the doors to the cockpit slid open with the accompanied vacuum noise.

Xion stepped forth from the darkened cockpit, a fat cord disconnecting from the base of her neck with a sickening click and disappeared back into the ceiling panels. "We have arrived Alkatoj."

"Oh." For some reason he'd expected a longer wait – that and to be dead from starvation. But just thinking about being hungry made his stomach squeal and twist. Weakly he stood, trudging after the raven haired girl and almost falling down the smooth exit ramp of the ship. He noticed that the girl kept a very sharp eye on him, probably making sure he didn't make a run for it. Like he even could – walking was hard enough as it was.

He stopped short once they'd made it out of the docking terminal and away from the crowds of people who were coming and going. Alkatoj was a warm planet, but was nothing compared to Duune. He almost sighed nostalgically. He craned his neck around; looking for the first place to indicate that there would be food. He felt faint, and hungry, and his stomach squeezed inside his belly.

Finally he gave up and decided to head into a rather small wooden building labeled: Saloon. He knew that they normally only sold drinks, but they had to have _something_. Or at least they could point him in the right direction.

He walked through the swinging half doors, ignoring the fact that he was barely taller than they were, and went straight to the bar, also ignoring the few stares he'd garnered. With effort he climbed onto a stool and went slack against the bar table. "Please tell me you have food," he nearly whined to the woman behind the bar.

She was a very curvaceous woman, with long black hair and big brown eyes. She gave him a most curious look before chuckling loudly, making Roxas frown. "Of _course _we do, little guy." He scowled. "What'll you have?"

If the loud squelching of his stomach wasn't enough of an answer, he simply said, "Anything."

The woman grinned, but the man who sat next to him tusked and shook his head in a mournful manner. "Big mistake, little guy." If Roxas hadn't been so tired and half-starved, he'd have half a mind to really hurt these people for calling him that. He wasn't _that _small. "Tifa here can't cook worth beans." He paused, obviously drunken, "Well no, she can make some good beans."

The woman, Tifa he assumed, reached across the bar and slapped the man on the arm. "I too can cook. Just you wait little guy, I'll bring you a feast fit for those louts out in Delta-Nine!" And with that she was off, disappearing through a door behind the counter. Suddenly her head popped back around the corner. "Assuming you can pay for it, right little guy?"

"Yes, I can. Goddess…" He slumped back over the bar table irritably. Did he _look_ stupid enough to order food without being able to pay for it? He thought for a moment he was going to pass out, but the feeling was gone soon enough. Someone sat next to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Angrily he peeked over the table to see Xion sitting stock still next to him. She looked more like a statue than a… than whatever she was. "What?"

Her blue eyes stared at nothing. "What tools are needed for holodisc?"

He shot her an annoyed glance. "It's not that easy," he mumbled into the table. "I'm going to have to build a new one, so I'll need parts – and tools, and some time. Maybe a week. Can you wait that long, or do you want to find someone else to fix it?" He sincerely hoped she'd leave him and find some new, pathetic life form to attempt her task faster than him.

She shook her head. "You're good enough." He didn't know whether or not he should've been insulted by that. Instead he wrapped his arms around his head and closed his eyes to try and force the dizziness that played in the back of his head, away.

"You know, you don't look too well, little guy. You're not going to pass out and die on my bar are you?" He peered over the tops of his folded arms to see the woman smiling down at him a cup and rag in each hand. He hoped she could see his glare. "But anyway," she went on, cleaning the glass with the same smile. It was really starting to annoy him. "Your food will be out in a minute or so; most of it was pre-made this morning – we always do that. Beer tends to make a few folks hungry and we don't want our business walking out the door to get food!" She just shook her head and chuckled to herself a little.

Roxas buried his face anew, silently wishing that the food would just get done and that Xion would leave. His entire right side felt awkward just from the presence of the raven haired girl, almost like he was sitting next to a block of ice and was becoming chilly on that side. It really, really, freaked him out. "I've got an idea," he said suddenly looking over to Xion.

Xion gave the slightest of nods, her eyes roaming about the building methodically. "Why don't you go out into the town and look for a hardware shop and a software store too. So when I'm done here we can get started right away… or something."

Immediately she stood. "Okay," was all she said before walking out of the saloon. Roxas relaxed with a sigh of relief. In all honesty, he didn't really think that would have worked, but he was grateful that she was gone none-the-less.

"Okay! Here it comes!" Tifa yelled suddenly, walking out of the backroom backwards with a platter in each hand. She slid each one in front of him and pulled off the tops with a flourish. There was some roast, carrots and onions, a pot of gravy, a side of beans and stuffing, turkey, and a little bowl of fresh fruits. His stomach growled pathetically and he was probably sending the dishes doe eyes. "Hey, where'd your friend go?"

He grimaced as he pushed the turkey aside. "She's not my friend. Far from it."

The woman shrugged, a small smile playing deviously on her lips. "Oh, well that's fine. You don't want that?" She pointed towards the discarded turkey. He shook his head. "Why won't you eat it?"

"Religious purposes," he muttered, slightly annoyed. He picked up his silverware and began to eat with vigor. After the first few bites he decided that it was probably some of the worst tasting food he'd ever eaten, but he was so hungry that he didn't care and continued to shove forkful after forkful into his mouth.

"Oh, that's fine." Tifa simply took the turkey and munched on it herself, watching Roxas with the same intensity that he ate with. "So… what do you think?" she asked when the blond slowed down to breathe.

His brows knit in confusion. "Think of what?" He put more food in his mouth just so he wouldn't have to talk anymore.

"Of my food," Tifa's face looked conflicted and Roxas picked up on it immediately.

Slowly he pressed a fat berry into his mouth and nodded his head vigorously. He had a feeling that if he opened his mouth to say what he _really _thought, then he'd be missing some golden window of opportunity.

Tifa's face split into a huge grin and she reached over and mussed Roxas' hair – to which he vainly tried to swat her hands away without choking in outrage. "Kid, I like you. You're probably one of the best customers I've ever had walk through that door." She pointed out towards the swinging doors, ignoring a few grunts from other patrons. "What brings you to Alkatoj?"

He looked back down to his plate, repressing the urge to just leave. This woman was a Genetic – a filthy Genetic ape, the same kind of Genetic that ruined his life. He didn't want to be friendly with her, or even be on speaking terms with anyone of her kind.

But on the same side of the coin, he was stuck on a planet full of them with only Xion as company – which was probably the worst part of it all. He felt he was treading dangerous territory, and the best way to stay safe was to – begrudgingly – ally himself with someone.

He weighed out his options as he continued to eat, finishing up his massive meal with a small, contented sigh. "I… We're making a pit stop here, I guess. I've got a really old holodisc I need to rebuild, but there weren't parts enough on the ship – and… we were running low on supplies anyway." He turned sideways in his stool, trying to sound as casual as he could manage. He wasn't a people person, and just striking up conversations was stretching him thin.

The woman grinned further, taking her rag to wipe down the counter repeatedly. "That sounds like quite the project," she said wistfully, though she didn't sound all that impressed. "Do you know how long you'll be in town?"

Roxas shrugged, trying not to look too sour. "Maybe a week or so." This in his opinion was far too long. He handed over Dr. Dreg Fulle's credit bit and pulled his Commune out of his pocket.

Tifa took the credit bit with a smile, popping it into the small codex device located at the end of the bar, imputing the price and withdrawing the money. "Dr. Dreg Fulle?" she asked curiously before laughing. "That sounds like Dr. _Dreadful_!"

"Uh." He blinked a few times, scratching at the back of his neck nervously. "I think that's a glitch in the system." Frantically he moved next to the codex machine, finding a frequency link between it and his Commune before simply changing Dr. Dreg's information to his with a practiced ease. "You wouldn't believe how often that happens." He tapped the codex just as it began to switch to his information. "See?" He gave a half-hearted laugh.

Tifa blinked owlishly, completely unaware of Roxas' hacking through his Commune; most Communes were simple data-pads and information keepers. "Oh," she chuckled. "Dr. Roxas Yevon… huh. So you're a doctor?"

He shook his head. It was another common and stupid question. "Scientist. Roboticist. I specialize in building and designing a lot of the robots you see running around these days."

"You look a little young," she said, squinting her eyes at him a little, though her smile was ever-present. It really freaked him out. "Heh, I bet you got all the good genes in your family," she winked at the slightly morbid joke. "But anyway, where are you staying while you're here?"

She handed him back the credit bit and he grabbed it with a small feeling of relief. He was worried that she would make off with it somehow. "Uh… I guess… we're just staying on the ship?" He did _not _like that idea. To be alone at night, on the ship with Xion… He was afraid he was going to wake up with cords and wires stabbing him relentlessly as he tried to sleep. A small shiver ran down his spine.

"Well, I'll have none of that." She leaned in over the counter, bringing her large bust a little too close to Roxas' face for his comfort. "I like you little guy. You're a bit weird, but, hell, that's not always a bad thing. So I'll make you a deal." He scowled a little, but nodded none-the-less. He didn't like dealing with Genetics. "You can stay here – in one of the rooms we have upstairs, free of charge. You don't look like the type to make much of a fuss about anything. But the catch is, is you gotta eat here. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sound good? Free meals and board. You can't get much better than that."

Roxas' eyes narrowed. "What's your angle?" He wasn't stupid. There's no way she'd offer him all that for free – especially knowing it was going to be for a week or more. He may not have been too great with people, but he was rather good at getting what he wanted – usually information.

Tifa just moved down the bar further and began to wipe it down. One of the drunken patrons got up and moved to a table further in to give her some cleaning room. "Do I have to have a reason?" she jaunted at him from across the bar after a long session of cleaning and Roxas' glaring blue eyes.

"Yes," he miffed.

He simply stared at her until she gave in, tossing the little cleaning rag to the side and thrusting her hands onto her hips. "You're a persistent little thing…" she sighed dramatically, though he caught the hint of annoyance. "I just like having you around, kid. You're the first person to like my cooking in such a long time – it's cute, you're cute, and I'm just showing a little hospitality. You can sleep on your ship if you really want to. It was just an offer."

Roxas deflated a little bit, still suspicious of the woman's actions, but he hated being made out as the bad guy – unless he deserved or wanted it, but in this situation he was trying to gain some ground. "Oh. Uhm…" He trailed off. He absolutely _refused _to apologize to the woman. He'd rather die, or chew off his own arm before he did. He wondered for a moment if he really should take her up on her offer, but as soon as he was about to tell her no, Xion pushed her way through the swinging double-doors. "Sure. Yeah, I'll stay here." He said quickly. Anything to stay away from that girl.

Tifa's face broke into another grin. "Perfect! I'll have a room upstairs fixed up for you, little guy."

Xion came up behind him and began to tap him relentlessly on the shoulder. He did his best to ignore it, but it began to hurt when she applied more and more pressure until she simply took a hold of his shoulder and pulled, forcing his stool to swivel around and face her. "You're finished. I found tool shops. Follow me."

He held back a groan of pain – Xion really had a harsh grip – as he slid off of his stool to follow the girl. Tifa sent him a wink, "I'll see you when you get back, little guy!" she called after him as he passed through the swinging door entrance to the saloon.

His legs were still wobbly from the ill-use, and his hands trembled in his pockets, but he knew he'd be fine in about an hour or so. Instead of following Xion, he walked ahead of her, following the familiar trail to the software shop that he normally visited when he was doing field tests on Alkatoj. He'd only sent her out to look for them to get her to go away.

"There is software," the girl said, the words rolling out of her mouth. Roxas' head stooped down as he simply tried to ignore her presence. The plasma-glass doors slid open smoothly as they approached and Roxas felt nostalgic at the disinfectant clean smell of the store, with a small touch of fiber optic tubing rubber in the background. It was one of his favorite smells. Because to him it smelt like a fresh start, something new to create, to pour his genius into and get his hands dirty; and ultimately, it was the smell of success and accomplishment.

There was a too-thin man with long greasy hair sitting behind the checkout counter, blue neon lights lit up behind him, depicting sales and bargains that were going on that week. He skimmed over the list absently before just heading down the first isle, kicking a small motorized basket in front of him to carry all the parts he was going to need for this project.

It had been such a long time since he'd started from scratch. He was excited.

Slowly he picked items off the shelves; compulsers, conductors, wires, orithium fluids, valves and the sort. Xion followed him closely, inspecting each item he set into the moving cart with a sense of absent fascination. He was glad that she didn't ask any questions though- he hated explaining how things worked to people who obviously didn't know how to use the information anyway. It was a waste of his time.

They'd been in the store for roughly half an hour, Roxas was examining the integrity of a palm-sized modem, when the guy up in the front spoke. "Hey girl, why don't you come up here for a bit?"

Roxas' eyes shot immediately to Xion. She almost seemed to hesitate for the briefest of moments before heading up to the front. "If he asks," Roxas whispered quietly, for a reason unknown to him, "Tell him you're twelve, and you're my sister." He knew she had heard him, because her head bobbed just the slightest as she continued on her way towards the counter.

He pursed his lips and continued shopping for the random bits of software he knew was going to need. "I just wanted to say that you have the most _gorgeous _eyes I've ever seen," the man said loudly. Roxas resisted the urge to snort, but didn't bother to hide his disgruntled look. He'd thought walking into the cockpit seeing Xion… was, well, creepy, but this, this was maybe the creepiest thing he'd experienced to date.

There were only two isles of supplies left for him to scrounge about in. Xion was setting the man with a blank look – either she didn't know how to respond, or just didn't feel like it. Roxas didn't know. The guy seemed to sweat. "A-And, well, you're very pretty – and slender… Uhm… We're not supposed to serve customers who aren't wearing shoes, but I thought I'd make you an exception, because you're so beautiful."

Gagging slightly at the man's retardation, Roxas finished up his shopping by throwing one last component onto the heap in the cart. Even if Xion was _normal_, she'd definitely be out of that guy's league. "Okay," Xion said simply as Roxas approached, handing over Dr. Dreg's credit bit. The guy sputtered a bit, grasping for the small bit. For some reason Roxas felt satisfied.

The cart automatically transmitted the total of the items to the codex machine, and the guy pressed the credit bit into the slot forcefully. Roxas grimaced slightly at the total as he snatched the credit bit back. Filthy Genetics – they wouldn't know the value of machinery if it bit them in the face and killed them.

The man simply dumped the supplies into a steel box and pushed it out the door, giving Xion a sly smile – to which she didn't respond. Roxas looked down at the box with exasperation. He was pretty sure there was no way he could lift it without pulling or breaking something important. "Bastard," he grumbled with half a mind to go back into the shop and bitch the Genetic out until the man bleed from the ears. "This shit is too heavy."

Xion shrugged, reaching down and hefting up the box in her thin arms. "Shop other store now." He stared unbelievingly. She didn't even look to be having difficulties.

"Uh. Sure, yeah…" Quickly he moved towards the hardware store, surprised that the girl kept up with him at an easy pace. He only had to pick up a tool set, a few motors, and some plating and screws and the sort. Xion stood by the door with the massive box nestled in her arms; the man at the counter was giving her weary looks out of the corner of his eye. Roxas was sure the guy thought she was going to drop it at any moment.

He grabbed everything he needed and paid hurriedly, carrying the small bag of supplies as easily as Xion carried the box. The feeling of weakness made him frown and annoyed him. "Aren't you tired?" he asked out of curiosity as they made their way back to the saloon. Xion shook her head and he dropped the subject. He didn't care _that _much.

"You did _what_?" someone said angrily from inside the saloon as they approached. Roxas merely shrugged and pushed the swinging doors open, setting his bag of supplies down. Tifa was standing behind the bar, arms crossed over her chest defiantly as a blond man leaned across the bar looking rather pissed off. "We're already starting to go under; do you really think we can _afford _that?"

Tifa snorted. "We're _not _going under, Cloud. We're doing exactly the same as we have for the past six years. Stop having a fit – it won't kill you to help a guy out for once." The blond's head fell to the bar with a 'thump' as he grumbled obscenities. Tifa looked up and spotted Roxas, Xion with the steel box behind him. "Hey there little guy. I made up your room – I made sure it had a desk, too, so you could work."

Roxas shifted in his spot uncomfortably. He had to admit that it was _nice _of her to try and meet his needs like that, but he didn't know what to say. "Which way?" he asked instead.

The woman smiled, throwing her rag at the blond Genetic, who caught it without looking. "Follow me." Roxas picked up his bag, waving for Xion to follow him without really thinking. Tifa led them up a spiraling Vinyl-Wood staircase and into a hall lined with four to five doors. "First one here on the left is for you," she said, jabbing a laser-lock key into the keyhole of the door and pushing it open. "Is your friend staying too?" she asked as Xion followed Roxas into the room, placing the box down next to the desk as he instructed.

"She's not my friend," was the blond's reply as he pulled out his newly acquired tool kit and spread it across the desk, his blue eyes gazing at them appreciatively.

Tifa frowned, setting her hands on her round hips. "Are you staying too?" she asked the girl instead.

Xion returned to her full height after bending to hover over the blond for a brief moment. Her movement was disjointed and strange before she spoke simply, "No."

Roxas wondered if it was possible to die of relief.

The woman shrugged. "Okay," she turned to the blond scientist, "Dinner's in half an hour."

He only gave a distracted shrug as he began to dig through his supplies with fervor; excitedly. She sighed and left. For the next several hours Roxas was oblivious to everything that happened around him. At some point in time Xion had left him alone, Tifa had stormed up the stairs and handed him a plate of food – which he took and munched from occasionally – and before he knew it, it was already pre-dawn and his eyes were beginning to droop. He felt accomplished as he examined what would be the skeleton of the holodisc – simple and lightweight, but every relay switch and connection corner was installed and ready.

With a small yawn he trudged to the small, downy bed and lay down. He slept for a few hours in a mindless dream – for which he was grateful – until the mindlessness turned into darkness; engulfing and sinister. It grabbed at him like a pair of angry hands; covering his mouth and nose, pushing at his throat until he thought he was going to pass out.

"_Help me…"_

He woke gasping for precious air, feeling around his face and neck for choking hands but felt nothing but his own sweat and racing pulse. He pushed a few tufts of hair out of his face with a scowl. He looked at the antique digital clock, grimacing when he noticed he'd been asleep for maybe four hours – if he was lucky.

Lethargically he pulled himself out of bed – he really didn't want to go back to sleep after a dream like that – and stumbled around the hall outside his room until he managed to find a bathroom and took a much wanted shower, nearly rejoicing at the sight of fresh towels.

He finished up, dried off, and sighed in defeat as he put his old, dingy clothes on, folding up the sleeves of his new-ish jacket. They felt extremely grimy against his clean skin, but he shrugged it off and went back into his room. Picking up where he left off just hours before, he began to scrounge around in the massive steel box once more when his door flung open.

Tifa stood in his doorway looking highly annoyed. She opened her mouth to shout something before she stopped suddenly with a small squeak. "Oh, you're awake?" Her ill humor seemed to wash away with that fact. "Well, I'll be damned. I was sure you'd be snoozing away since you were up all night." She gave a shrug. "Breakfast is ready downstairs. And you're coming, whether you like it or not."

She grabbed his arm and he nearly recoiled in pure disgust. But instead he allowed her to drag him and contented himself with starting hatefully at the back of her head.

There were no customers in the saloon, with the exception of the blond Genetic that he saw the other night, but he had ruled him out as being a raging drunkard. His best guess was the guy co-owned the building. Tifa sat him down on the opposite side of the large, round table that the scowling blond man sat.

Tifa busied herself with setting the table, humming quietly to herself and slapping the blond man every here and there when she caught him glaring at their guest. Roxas only glared back with intensity.

The table was set with more than enough food for the three of them and Tifa began to portion it out between them all. "What are you doing up stairs?" the blond Genetic asked gruffly, once the silence had become too awkward for even him to handle.

"Building a holodisc," Roxas answered just as unenthusiastically. He pushed away a serving of Cockatrice before it could even touch his plate, mumbling, "Religious purposes," before Tifa could even ask.

In the following silence, is all that could be heard was the clicking of dishes and silverware as Tifa finished serving and she sat with a contented sigh. "Eat up!" she said with a grin.

The blond man looked down at his plate with a small frown as he picked at some of the food with his fork. "Why not just buy a new one?" he ventured further, rather than putting food in his mouth.

Roxas tried not to make a sour face as he shoved more hashes into his mouth. They tasted strange, but they weren't inedible. He finished his mouthful with a scowl. "I'm converting the memory core."

"You could always change the frequency of a new one-"

The scientist shook his head, trying his best to not snap and the blond idiot sitting across from him. "It's too old."

The man set his elbows on the table and folded his hands to rest his chin on; forgetting about the meal beneath his nose. "How old?"

"Runs on lithium, I'm sure." Roxas grunted before eating more. He was never going to starve again if he could help it. He really didn't want to talk to this dumbass anymore.

Suddenly realization dawned on the man's face; which surprised Roxas a bit. "Damn," the man would have whistled appreciatively if Tifa hadn't been glaring lasers at him for not eating. She instead turned her attention to Roxas, who was currently shoving food into his mouth hungrily. "Is it an Earth-relic, do you think?"

Roxas blinked. He'd never thought of that. If that holodisc _was _an Earth-relic – a _pre-War_ Earth-relic to boot, then it was worth more money than he could ever steal in his entire lifetime. "I… I'm not sure," he said blankly. It must have been years since he said that last, as the words felt foreign on his tongue. His face turned dark and he hunched over his food as he ate. He was done talking.

"_Cloud_," Tifa yelled suddenly, slapping the blond man's arm harshly. "Eat your damn food!" Cloud, Roxas assumed, grimaced, but picked up his fork none-the-less and began to eat. Tifa shot him a smile. "Sorry about that little guy," she said with a small tilt of her head. "He's not a fan of my cooking, but he promised he'd eat with us today." She gave a sigh. "Geez, my own husband won't eat my food. Now you know why I like you so much, kid."

Both blond's merely shrugged, keeping rapt attention to their plates. But apparently the silence was too much for the dark haired woman. "I'm sorry if Cloud is bothering you, too, little guy. Especially with that Earth-relic stuff. He's bordering on obsessed with Earth-relics; but he's good at fixing old crap because of it, so I guess I can forgive him."

Roxas rolled his eyes as he shoveled that scrap from his plate into his mouth. "Good food," he mumbled before he got up from the table with the intention of going upstairs to work on the holodisc. At this rate – if he was lucky – he'd have it completed by tomorrow morning. That was assuming, of course, that he wouldn't be interrupted and didn't sleep, which he really wasn't planning on doing after _that _dream.

The swinging doors snapped open suddenly. Roxas half expected Xion to come in, demanding to see the finished holodisc. But the in the outdoor light that poured into the saloon, a tall man stepped in. He was grinning, pale blue eyes roaming the room until he found the blond Genetic. "Spike!" the man called loudly, even though they were only a few feet away. "Man, you've _got _to see what I've found today!"

Cloud stood as the man made his way over, punching the blond Genetic lightly on the arm. "Zack, hey."

"Grab your Mobile, just wait until you see this," the black haired man gave a happy whistle. "Oh, who's this little guy?"

The man made a move to grab Roxas, perhaps to actually shake his hand, but the blond skittered away from the hand, looking obviously panicked. He had been teetering on the edge earlier with two Genetics in one room, but to be alone with _three_ had sent him over. "_Don't touch me_," he hissed out before bounding up the stairs, tripping on the last step in his panic.

"… He's normally not like that," He heard Tifa say before he slammed his door closed behind him.

His whole body felt to be trembling, his heart was beating too fast, and the air didn't want to stay in his lungs. He fell onto his bed, forcing himself to calm down. He was fine. He was safe. He was in the center of a planet full of fucking Genetics who'd he rather see ripped limb from limb. He sighed. "Goddess, why do you do this to me?" he whispered irritably before rising off the bed and returning to the desk.

It was as if his body was working separately from his mind, nimble fingers twisting wires together, connecting joints and scribbling down messy diagrams on sheets of blank paper; while his mind sat numb. His whole life he'd been nothing more than a tool for corporate society; building, designing, making everything bigger and better. He always went along with it too, even if it had been the last thing he'd ever wanted.

But now, now he had a bounty on his head – at least in the scientific world. He was going to have to look and see how much it was sometime. He sighed heavily. He couldn't go back; nothing could go back to the way it was. And now, after he finished building this holodisc, what was he supposed to do?

His hands fell from their work, slowly falling to his sides. If he finished this one project, then there wouldn't be a use for him any longer.

The door creaked open and he didn't have a snarky remark at the ready. Xion walked into the room, closing the door silently. "Is holodisc finished?" she asked. The normal rumble of her accent washed over him like a bucket of cold water.

"No," he said as he regained a few of his senses. "Actually, I have a question." He almost grimaced as he said that. Xion stood next to him, staring at him with her – seemingly – unseeing eyes. He took it as expectant. "What's on this disc anyway?"

There was a long pause before the raven haired girl leaned over and picked up the old, tarnished holodisc. "It has information," she began. "We take information and use it. We find path."

Roxas blinked. He had no idea what she meant, but he nodded and his hands rose and began working once more. She had said '_we_', and right then, that's all he had wanted to hear. After that he tried to ignore her icy presence, the goosebumps that run up and down his arms whenever she came too near.

She frightened him, and revolted him, yet she was the one thing that was keeping him going, like the belt that kept the engine alive in a machine. Sure, he could keep running, but he wouldn't get anywhere. And for that, he tolerated her.

For the next two days, Roxas spent his time in his room. Tifa would bring him food, looking slightly aggravated each time, but he would always give it a half-assed compliment every time she came back for his dishes, leaving with a beaming smile.

To keep Xion busy he made a grocery list of everything he would need on the ship: food, clothes, bedding, etc; put her photo and some made up information on Dr. Dreg's credit bit and sent her off, examining everything she brought back first; just in case.

On the final night, Tifa had bullied him into eating down in the saloon. Xion was present, leaning against one of the walls discreetly, hardly noticeable. Cloud and his friend Zack were seated at one of the tables, so he took one closer to the door. He brought his work down with him – it was too close to finished for him to ignore it – and he began to fiddle with it again.

Tifa had started setting the tables, suddenly looking up sharply. "Are you hungry?" she asked the raven haired girl. Xion shook her head. "Do you even eat? I've never seen you eat. Are you a Quu or something?" Xion's shoulders hooked up before falling back down in a shrug.

"Very helpful," Roxas commented, watching the exchange from the corner of his eye. Truthfully he was just as curious about the matter as Tifa was, but he'd given up on figuring it out a long time ago. Trying to figure out what Xion was was like trying to figure out the composition of a brick wall without any of the proper tools. Pointless speculation.

The holodisc in front of him sparked to life as he did a final test. He set it on the table before him, a large, green-shaded oval of light bobbed delicately above the small screen top of the holodisc. Everyone watched the oval discreetly, some openly, before Roxas sighed in accomplishment.

"Xion," he started, only to find the girl right next to him, hovering over the newly built holodisc. "Xion… get the old disc from upstairs," he said with a tinge of annoyance. He hated it when people hovered.

Immediately Xion took off upstairs. She didn't run, but Roxas didn't think it was possible for her to walk any faster.

"What are you doing?" Roxas looked up to see Zack, Cloud's friend, turning his chair backwards and sitting in it to get a decent view of the holodisc.

The blond scientist sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Converting a memory bit to higher standards…" To his relief Zack didn't ask him anything further. Xion came down the stairs, holding the old holodisc between protective fingers. Roxas held out his hand for it, and she gently slid the holodisc into his outstretched palm.

With a practiced ease he picked off the case covering to the old holodisc, retrieving the small, fat memory bit from its compartment. He cut some of the wire coverings from the memory bit, entwining them with a few wires from the new holodisc, and placing a small anti-electrode clamp over the exposed bits of wires.

He turned the holodisc back on, after forcing Xion to sit down. Her hovering was getting on his last nerve. The floating green oval reappeared as he set the holodisc down. Suddenly a man appeared in the oval, pacing the length back and forth. He was short, with grayish pale hair, and wore a flowing white overcoat.

Suddenly the man stopped his movements. Roxas noted how everyone in the room seemed to draw closer to their table. _**"I am Ienzo." **_The man said with a sudden clarity. _**"This is the year 2046." **_ There was a gasp, and suddenly Cloud sat across from them at the table. The man on the holodisc paused, fiddling with his clothes. _**"This is the start of the Genetics War.**_

"_**I predict this war to be a giant catalyst to Earth's existence – and to all human kind." **_Ienzo's face seemed to distort into something psychotic, before falling back into its original state. _**"I'm never wrong. History repeats itself; over and over," **_the man twirled a slender finger around. _**"There are twenty one faucets for history to repeat – each has its own varying scale of intensity… But since it is likely that a bunch of Neanderthals are listening to this holodisc, I'll not get into the details of something **_**so **_**complex." **_Roxas scowled at the image.

"_**I predict – no, **_**Science **_**predicts, that the Genetics War will be the end of the human race, of Earth. There is nothing that I alone can do about this. But I have taken it upon myself to stop these faucets, the twenty one negative ways for history to repeat itself." **_The man set down a small tool that he had been examining. _**"That's why I created **_**you**_**. Xion, No. i, the first of twenty one androids. You gave yourself to me – to **_**science**_**, at the age of sixteen. I suppose memories of your past life will return to you in time. But then again, they may not. It is of no importance.**_

"_**Xion stands for political unrest. Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, the Castro brothers, Mao Tse-Tung, Vladimir Lenin... All examples of what is to come." **_He picked up another tool, a strange look in his eye and a wicked grin on his face. _**"Find this new over-taker. Stop history from repeating itself."**_

The holo-video cut off suddenly. The room seemed darker than before. Roxas' hands trembled as he scooped up the two holodiscs. It was all fake, it had to be fake. There was no way that she could be… There was a long, appreciate whistle. "Wow. Year 2046?" Zack looked impressed. "How long ago was that in Earth years?" he asked.

"Three hundred ten years." Cloud leaned back in his chair, running a gloved hand through his spiked hair. "It's year 2356 in Earth years, you know."

Zack laughed. "I'll just stick with Galactic years. Easier to remember."

Roxas stood suddenly on shaking legs, cradling the two holodiscs. "We've got to go," he said, his voice pitchy. "_Now_." They had to leave; they had to get as far away from Alkatoj as possible. His stomach was in knots and there was a voice in the back of his that screamed, "Get out!" Xion was an android, a _humanoid_. They may not have noticed the finer details of what the scientist had said, but once they did, he and Xion were going to be in serious trouble.

Just as Xion was getting up, there was a loud explosion outside, followed by a shout of, "_Yeehaa!_"

Immediately the three Genetics were on their feet. "Shit," Cloud cursed, running to the door. He barreled outside for a few moments before running back in. "Bandits! Tifa, keep the saloon safe," he paused, "The little guy and his friend too."

"She's not my friend," Roxas bit out instinctively, despite the situation. His whole body was racked with so many shivers and trembles that he could barely move.

Zack ran outside, while Cloud went in back for a moment, emerging holding maybe three swords that began to link together into one massive sword as he ran, following Zack out the door. Tifa ushered Roxas and Xion away from the door. "Get behind the bar guys, this is going to get messy."

Roxas carefully placed the holodiscs in his jacket pockets, zipping them up to keep the objects from falling out. He crawled behind the bar on his hands and knees, into the very corner before peeking his head over the smooth surface of the bar top. Xion simply stood next to him – as if she had no concept of danger.

Gunfire could be heard in the distance, screams and yells, and the quiet droning of roaring fires. "What's going on?" he finally mustered the courage to ask.

Tifa looked back at him wearily, her normal smile replaced with a thin, concentrated line. "It's a raid. Bandits come from the mountains in the west – on occasion. It sounds like they brought more forces than normal. This might get ugly, fast."

Completely un-assured, he ducked behind the counter further. "Dear Goddess," he began in a soft prayer, his trembling hands moving to the sides of his head, "If I die, deliver me safely into your blessed embrace –"

"You will not die," Xion cut in suddenly. She wasn't looking at him, but instead straight ahead towards the door. He didn't feel any comfort in the words, but he nodded, continuing his prayers in silence.

"Here they come!" Tifa yelled expectantly. Roxas could hear the doors being snapped off – wood splintering and shattering as gunfire suddenly filled the room. Xion jumped over the counter and into the fray as Roxas crawled on his stomach to the end of the counter to look from a safer angle.

In the small room about four to five men in customized armor, with various weapons, poured in, shooting and slashing at whatever moved. Tifa had picked up a table and was using it as a shield as she ran. Roxas could almost feel the energy radiating off of her as she jumped onto the wall, using her momentum to push off and ram a man with a nasty looking plasma sword into the ground.

Xion on the other hand, seemed to merely walk up to them before grabbing whatever she could and breaking them, as if she were crumpling a simple piece of paper. After seeing the first man go down by Xion's hand, a couple of the bandits ran from the building in a panic. No matter how many bullets they seemed to put into her, she continued towards them at a steady pace.

With an enraged stomp, Tifa broke in the skull of the man she had taken down, not bothering to look at the body as her large brown eyes scanned the room for more threats. "Huh…" she dusted her hands together as she walked up to the bar, her eyes still roaming. "They're gone. Are you okay little guy?"

He could feel her energy power down, as she relaxed slightly against the bar, still in the ready. He knew that Genetics had the ability to store access energy and to unleash it at varying levels in times of need – mostly combat. They could become hulking masses of muscle and power – but their down fall was – if they went over their limit – they ran the risk of losing their minds, giving up the ability to return to their normal form. Normally they suffered from extreme deterioration of brain tissue, and were put down on sight.

Slowly he stood on shaking legs, hunched and ready to jump or duck at a moment's notice. "Yeah," the blond Aven breathed out. Xion stood next to him, her arms splattered with wayward blood; blood that he was more than certain wasn't hers.

"Look," Tifa said, keeping her voice low to avoid sudden detection. "You two need to get off this planet. This is bad, and I'm not sure how much of Alkatoj will be standing by the time this is over. I'm convincing Cloud that we need to get off this planet when the raid is done." Her face scrunched up into a foreign frown. "But in the meantime, you two need to make it to safety."

She crouched down and shuffled to the now gaping doorway. Slowly she peered outside before returning to the bar. "It's pretty quiet around these parts, so you should make a break for it to your ship. When you do, get the hell out of here." She sent them both a stern look. "Do you understand me?"

Roxas nodded. He crawled over to the door, crouched next to the side of the entrance, preparing his legs to burst into a sudden run when suddenly his whole body froze; paralyzed with fear. What if someone saw him? If they chased them down to the ship and cornered them and killed them? He knew he was being irrational, but he didn't know if he could take that chance.

"What are you waiting for?" Tifa hissed from across the room.

He could feel Xion's icy presence behind him, but he couldn't force himself to move forward. "I detect threats," Xion said monotonously. Suddenly the revving sound of a mini-gun engine could be heard before thousands of plasma bullets cascaded through the open doorway of the saloon.

"Fuck!" Tifa cursed as she jumped over the bar without a moment to spare. "I got these guys! When they get in here, run for it, you hear me!"

Roxas' stomach dropped, but he nodded to the woman. Swallowing his fear, he pressed against the wall and waited. The mini-gun died down slightly and the bullets stopped. Tifa stood, pulling a glass out from beneath the bar. "Hey, bastards! Get out of here, if you know what's good for you!" she yelled, powering up several levels before chucking the glass at breakneck speed.

There was an angry snarl after the glass shattered. "Stupid bitch," someone said, directly from the doorway. He held his breath, plastering himself to the wall as the man passed, a massive mini-gun balanced on a hip. Tifa pounded a fist on the bar top, making everything placed on it jump and fall. With her other hand she flipped the man off. "Do you want to die!" the man shouted as he moved further into the room.

"I'm not the one who's going to be doing the dying!"

Suddenly the mini-gun started up again, and the man went all out on the front of the saloon. Tifa had ducked out of view, but before Roxas could do anything, Xion had grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the building, behind the bandit with the mini-gun. He only caught glimpses of the charred damage to the saloon before Xion tugged him more roughly.

All around them buildings were burning, some collapsing. There were bodies littering the streets, blood ran thickly in rivulets, it covered his shoes, making a disgusting sloshing noise with each step he took.

They made their way to the docks as quickly as Roxas' feet would take them. Just as he could see the metallic blue shimmer of Xion's ship, two men rushed passed them, stopping on a dime as soon as they noticed them. "Look it here, Rod, a couple of kids trying to make it to the docks." One of the men said from behind his helmet.

Xion stood directly in front of Roxas. "Maybe we should teach them a thing or two?" the other asked, cocking his gun with a showy air.

Roxas bit his lower lip in both frustration and fear. Before he could think of any retaliation, the first man's head fell to the ground in a silver and yellow blur.

Immediately Roxas recognized Cloud, his massive sword sparking to life with electrical veins as he brought it back to stab the second man through the stomach, pulling his sword upwards to slice him in half.

Cloud was covered in blood from head to toe. On his face seemed to be a distinctive shape of a smudged handprint. But when Roxas looked the blond Genetic in the eyes, he felt the ground jump from under his feet, the dark pain and loss that he had seen in his dream engulfed him in those few moments before Cloud ran off again – obviously in some sort of rage.

The massive amounts of energy coming from the man dwindled as he moved further away and Roxas sighed. He didn't know what was worse, being shot, or being crushed by a raging Genetic.

They took off again, moving through the corpses as they had to do with them all. Roxas thought he was going to throw up from the sight of all the carnage, but the metallic taste of foreign blood in the back of his mouth was starting to get to him. His head felt light, but his feet kept moving at the pace Xion was forcing him to set.

"_Cloud… I love you…" _He whipped his head back towards the saloon. There was an explosive sound, and a blooming plume of embers and smoke could be seen from the area where the saloon was. He had to stop to wretch on a bloody patch of grass before they had to run again.

The ramp to the ship slid down without indication. They ascended it without too much trouble, the door closing in good time behind him. He fell to his knees once he knew they were safe. His entire body trembled and his mouth tasted awful.

Xion bent low and placed a cold hand on his shoulder. "Stay. I fight. You stay… safe." Before he could protest, she leapt off the ship's ramp and was running into town.

He watched Alkatoj burn and bleed before the ship doors slid closed to shield his bright blue eyes.

How long Roxas sat alone in the ship was unknown to him. He could hear faint sounds, like screams and the occasional explosion and roar of fire. He reviewed the holodisc once or twice with trembling hands.

The doors slid open once more and he peered out to see Xion moving up the ramp. She was blood spattered and a solemn sight. He was more surprised when he saw what he thought, was Cloud walking towards them in the distance. He motioned for Xion to stop and wait, out of simple curiosity. What had happened to Alkatoj? Who won? Were there survivors? Hundreds of questions ran through his mind as Xion turned around on the ramp, watching the blond approach.

Cloud stopped a few feet in front of the edge of the ramp, shifting the sword on his back with a dark look on his face.

"It sounds like you guys need some help on your mission."

-o-

_**A/N: **_A special thanks to **Khuronji **and **Superkawaiifreak **for you input and reviews. You guys are like two shining stars visible from a dismal planet.

Also thanks to **Lucia-luce** for beta-ing this MoFo. Her patience is never ending and rivals that of a Buddhist Monk.


	3. Chapter 3

**Kismet**

"It sounds like you guys need some help on your mission."

Roxas stared at the bloodied man blankly. His mouth was dry and sticky. Xion sent him a glance – her deep blue eyes seeming more focused than normal. "W-What?" he finally managed to say.

The blond Genetic ran a gloved hand through his hair, spreading blood further. "I'm coming with you." It was more of a command than anything. Roxas frowned deeply. Cloud pointed at Xion, "If I'm right, she's a _humanoid _droid – highly illegal. Either I help you out, or I'll send Galactiods on your asses until you're caught and killed."

"What the fuck is _wrong _with you?" the small Aven scientist blurted – in the distance the crumbling of a building could be heard. "Don't you have a wife and friends here? Why the fuck would you leave – to help some humanoid?" He rubbed angrily at his tanned face in sheer frustration. "What'd you do? Hit your head?"

Cloud's face dropped, hiding his expression behind blood lined tresses of hair. Suddenly he pulled his sword from his shoulders, thrusting the weapon into the red earth before his feet. "They're _dead_," he nearly shouted. "All of them. Dead, gone, lost – _never coming back_." He heaved in a shaking breath. "I've nothing here."

Roxas felt his own breath hitch as he looked up from the blond, scanning over the carnage strewn about Alkatoj. He swallowed thickly, dropping his chin to his chest miserably. As much as he hated Genetics, he felt he had some shred of pity within him. They couldn't just _leave _Cloud here in a city that was burning to the ground – as much as he wanted to.

Xion turned back towards the ship, staring at the small blond with intensity. It unnerved him to the point where he'd do anything to get her to simply stop looking at him. "He is dangerous?" she asked, surprising Roxas. She'd never really said anything extremely relevant or off topic before.

Cloud was shaking his head, giving a light shrug of his shoulders at the same time. "Not to us," Roxas replied thickly after a moment's hesitation.

The raven haired humanoid nodded. She turned back around and motioned for Cloud to follow – mimicking Roxas' movements whenever he beckoned for her. "Ship is stocked – ask Roxas." Again she pivoted and finished ascending the smooth ramp and into the ship. Roxas could feel the chill she permeated as she passed him.

With a tiny grunt, Cloud hefted his sword from the ground, placing it back onto his shoulders. He walked calmly up the ramp and into the ship – the exit doors closing neatly behind him. He stood before Roxas, who was still crouched down onto the ground, shaken and weary from days without sleep.

Awkwardly Cloud set his sword to the side, allowing it to rest against one of the glossy walls of the ship's interior. Roxas stood uncomfortably before scrunching his nose in distaste. "Shower's that way," he grumbled, thrusting his thumb in the direction of the bathroom.

"Thanks…"

Roxas watched the blond until he disappeared further into the ship. "Filthy Genetic," he mumbled to himself before sighing. The ship around him began to hum and whirr as it started up. He moved into the center room of the hull, peeling off his bloody shoes and tossing them into the sink before running cold water over them in a futile attempt to clean them, even slightly.

He had to maneuver around stacks of boxes and bags that were filled with supplies ranging from food to clothes to get to the sink, but once his shoes were swimming in tinny water he slumped down to the floor. All the refrigerated items had already been put away, but weakly he dug into one of the lightweight toting boxes and pulled out bedding set: a blanket, sheets, a pillow and a pillow covering.

With tired limbs he pushed and kicked the supplies into the sleeping quarters. He could faintly hear the shower drizzling in the next room. With effort he managed to dress the musty old bed, his nose wrinkling as dust flew up into his face in little tufts. When he finally finished, tossing the fluffed pillow onto one end, he pulled the thick blanket around him; feeling as if the blanket were a shield against the Galaxy and within it was his own safe little niche in the world – and he fell into the bed, nestling against the fabrics of the sheets and pillow.

The shower water stopped, and within moments Cloud emerged from the bathroom, a thick, fluffy towel wrapped around his toned waist. "I wouldn't sleep, if I were you," he said, moving to one of the beds on the opposite side of the hull and pulling on his underclothes that he'd placed there from the bed. He'd tossed his bloody armor in the corner of the bathroom, figuring he'd do something with it later.

Roxas rolled onto his side, facing away from the Genetic blond. "Just leave me alone," he grumbled, the darkness of sleep already clutching at his fading conscience.

Cloud watched him with a gloomy face, before simply shaking his head. From the few days that he'd known Roxas, he knew that he was stubborn, foolish, and a damn genius. The kid was going to do what he wanted and how he wanted or not at all. "You'll get nightmares…" he said softly, despite the light snores that came from the scientist's bed.

He fingered the collar of his shirt lightly, the corners of his mouth tugging down as he dressed. He had felt the ship take off while he was showering, but he hadn't any clue as to where they were headed. He felt uneasy without his armor as he walked through the ship's hull, examining it with mild curiosity.

The small blond scientist gave him no worry. It was obvious to Cloud that he wasn't much of a fighter – if anything, the blond looked to be _afraid _of violence itself. His real worry was the humanoid, Xion. There was no way to tell what it – she, perhaps – was capable of. He'd seen her fight, plasma bullets deflected off her like flies hitting a window. Beyond that, she simply appeared to crush people using mechanical strength. He really didn't want to test out how strong that was, exactly.

Cautiously he picked his way to the cockpit, eyeing the doors wearily before placing a warm hand on the cool doors. Within moments they slid open soundlessly, showing him the darkened room before him. The humanoid was suspended by cords that pulsated with energy. He wasn't very surprised to see something like this, knowing she was a humanoid, but all the same it was an eerie sight to behold.

The wires trembled and writhed as he took another step into the room. Xion's head pivoted on her shoulders to examine the new blond on her ship with deep blue eyes glowing in the dim. "Cloud," she said in her guttural accent. Cloud thought it was familiar somehow, but he didn't know for sure. The ship around him seemed to speak, and he spared an awkward glance behind himself.

"Where are we going?" he asked, crossing his arms and wishing more than ever that he'd put his body armor back on.

A few wires loosened before becoming terse once more as Xion gave a feathery shrug. "You… don't know where you're going?" Another shrug. Cloud felt himself growing hot with anger. "You don't _know_, so why the hell did you take off?"

There was a long, cold pause from the humanoid. The fat wires were snapping as they wiggled vigorously around the girl. "…Roxas," she said at last, the wires falling from their sudden liveliness to float about her motionlessly.

"Oh…" He didn't understand what she had meant, but he had a feeling that she was trying to grasp at something that she couldn't understand. "I have an idea then."

He spent the next twenty minutes convincing the humanoid girl to head to Gütral. It was a small planet on the outskirts of the main Galactic system. It was hardly noticed by anyone looking at a map, but it was one of the main hubs for all criminal activity this side of the Galaxy. He had a couple contacts there that could potentially help Xion on her quest, and he figured it was a better start than drifting around in space.

"We arrive in Gütral in four days, eight hours," Xion said finally, making Cloud sigh in relief. He scratched at his freshly cleaned hair with unbidden annoyance as he said short thanks as he turned and left the cockpit.

He set about familiarizing himself with the ship interior, though there wasn't much for him to worry about. It was a small cruiser, and one that could hold a well sized crew of six or more – depending. He sorted through a few of the bags and boxes, putting a few things away before grabbing the extra bedding set and trudging into the sleeping quarters.

Roxas was tossing and turning in his sheets, a slick film of sweat beading across his forehead and dripping down the arch of his nose. Cloud debated waking the small scientist, before simply shaking his head sadly and returning to the task of making his own bed before seating himself on the blankets to stare idly at the writhing blond across the room.

-o-

_He stood at the peak of a cliff, looking over the edge carefully; glimpsing a small town nestled below. The wind tousled his hair and he kicked a chunk of rock down the cliff side, watching it bounce and crumble down the steep slope._

"_Poor slobs," a voice rang clearly in his ear, "I'd hate to be them tonight."_

_A smile curls onto his face; a river of blood pours through his hands. He watches as Cloud's friend, Zack, falls limply to the ground – a long plasma-sword withdrawing from his stomach. He sees Tifa's face, wild and scared, covered in dirt and blood before the world turns black._

"_Help me…" A voice calls to him, sweet and tenor. A man stands alone in an empty_ _room, devoid of all liveliness, clutching his head desperately, pleading with an unknown force. "Help me!"_

-o-

Roxas woke with a start, as he seemed to do more often than not nowadays. He wiped at the sweat that built up on his face, grimacing at the dampness of his palms in the process.

"Bad dream?" a stony voice asked from across the room. Roxas looked up to see Cloud sitting cross-legged on the bed opposite of him; his light, crystalline eyes seemed to be boring into his own.

With an arrogant huff he flung his blankets off and stood, mussing his sweaty hair. "Leave me alone," he mumbled as he moved to the central chamber to rifle through the packages and retrieve a fresh set of clothes. He nearly smiled at the sight and bundled them close to his chest as he made for the shower.

Cloud's eyes followed him as he passed, making him uncomfortable and snappy. "I tried to warn you," the tall blond said in a nonchalant manner.

"Like you care." Without further warning, he marched into the bathroom, sighing to himself when the door slid closed behind him with a small vacuum noise. His nose scrunched as he spotted Cloud's bloody armor in the corner of the bathroom, the iron stench wafting from it as it sat untended. "Genetic slob," he grumbled and began to strip out of his filthy clothes.

His muscles twitched slightly beneath his sun-kissed skin as the shower water rippled down his back. Every time he closed his eyes is all he could see was death and blood, the bodies of Alkatoj lining the streets in rows and piles. No matter how much he tried to think of something else, that was what plagued his mind the most. He understood that it had been a traumatic experience, but all the same, he wished he could forget about it already.

The steam from the water wafted up to his face and calmed his breathing, helping him relax. He never thought he'd feel clean again. Even as he relished the thick, warm towel against his skin, and the feel of the soft, clean change of clothes, he felt grimy; dirty and despicable for a reason that was unknown to him.

Cloud was still in the same position as he was when Roxas had left for his long shower. He stared back at the blond with a hateful look, wishing that he'd just left him to rot on the dying planet. "What are you looking at?" he sneered, debating if he should lay down and try and rest, or opt to find something to do – or not do – in a separate cabin.

"Not sure," Cloud said at last, his clear blue eyes suddenly flicking to life. "I'm pretty sure you're not a Genetic," he began to muse aloud.

Slightly amused, Roxas curled back up on his own bed, deciding that this might be more entertaining than staring at the titanium glossed table or sink. "How do you know?" he prodded, hoping to make the Genetic doubt every decision he thought he'd made.

Cloud blinked. "You're obviously too small." The scientist scowled, reconsidering staring at the table. "You're not Quu either. You eat too much – though you hardly ever seem to sleep." That fact seemed to puzzle Cloud and Roxas let him stew over it, letting the blond think whatever he wanted. There was no way Roxas was going to admit that he had _nightmares_ – of sorts. "You're no Sloth… not hairy enough; I find that a good thing, by the way."

"Like I care what you think," the small blond sniffed out.

Cloud's brows lifted before falling over his eyes in a frown. "I see…" he trailed off and remained silent for a long, pregnant minute. "We're heading to Gütral. We'll get there in about four days – according to Xion."

"Offer her something she wants," Roxas said more to himself than to Cloud; a tiny yawn breaking between his pink lips. "She'll send more power to the thrusters – a lot more; depending, I suppose."

The tall blond chuckled lightly. "What makes you think she _wants _things? She's a robot – a humanoid. You said you're a roboticist; you should know robots don't _feel_."

Put off, Roxas mumbled an unintelligible insult at Cloud before rolling over in his bed and settling himself back into the comfortable bedding. For some unfathomable reason, the small blond felt crushed – as if he had been offered candy, only to have Cloud spit on it. And now he had to spend the next four days in the blond's company. He nearly shuddered at the thought.

For a brief moment he missed Duune. He missed his morning rituals and _almost _missed working at Quanta – Robotics. But he really did miss writing veiled insults – and some rather obvious ones – on those reports. It was a surprising way to relieve stress, and knowing that it was going to be read gave him that slight superiority trip.

Here, with Xion – trapped with Cloud, he felt useless. As if here were simply being tugged along the currents of something much larger than him, or anything he could imagine. And he most certainly wasn't content to simply flounder about in life. He just felt he had no other option, and that's probably what upset him the most

At that moment he felt he'd much rather face his nightmarish dreams than the Genetic sitting across the room. So with purpose he wriggled himself into a comfortable position, closing his eyes tightly and hoping for the best.

Cloud watched this with a small frown. Maybe the boy doesn't dream, he mused to himself, stretching his legs out before him. All across his muscles burned and twitched with lactic acid buildup and the normal stress of releasing so much energy in a short period of time. His frown only deepened as he began to massage at his thigh muscles with calloused hands.

He could have easily gone over the edge back on Alkatoj. In fact he knew he was a mere fraction away from completely losing his mind – what had kept him from doing so, he wasn't sure; and he wasn't sure if he was grateful for that yet. He had sealed his fate by allying himself with a humanoid – he might as well have gone over the edge and been hunted down.

But with all that he had seen on Alkatoj. Zack and Tifa… He quickly pressed a palm harshly under his eye to keep from crying. He swore to himself that he would find the leader of that bandit raid, and he would kill them. For Zack and Tifa, he'd go to the ends of the universe to avenge them.

"Nrrrg…" Cloud's crystalline eyes shot back over to the tiny blond huddled in his bed. He was gasping and writhing in his sheets. For a moment the tall blond was worried – Roxas looked to be in exorbitant amounts of pain. Thin fingers wound their way through Roxas' curls, the blond clutching his head as he curled into a fetal position. "Get out of my head!" the small blond yelled suddenly.

Cloud jumped off his bed with a hiss of pain as his very body protested against the movement. He knelt by Roxas' side, his hands moving to touch the boy only for them to draw back uncertainly. Roxas' face slowly turned from twisted pain to a relaxed, yet restless one. "I told you you'd have nightmares…" Cloud said with a relieved sigh.

Small, pink lips twitched on the smooth, tanned face. "Sora…" Roxas mumbled in his sleep. Cloud's ears perked at the name. How did he…? "He's… Delta-Nine…" Roxas fumbled over a few more things that Cloud couldn't quite hear. "Please… … xel – don't…" there was a long, shuttering breath, "…die…"

How long Cloud sat by Roxas' side attempting to decipher halves of random phrases the blond uttered, he didn't know. After what was probably hours – or days according to now stiff and ill-treated muscles, he finally picked himself up off the cold floor and stretched a little before limping slightly into the kitchen.

His face was drawn low in thought as he scrounged around the toting boxes for a few utensils, settling on cooking something both easy and filling. As he set the small noodle dish to boil, he began stretching again in hopes to bring some kind of relief to his backside.

The things Roxas had said in his sleep bothered him. He had no clue what the blond had been talking about, or if had just been traumatic, senseless chatter.

Soon enough Roxas emerged from the sleeping quarters looking more haggard then when he had went to sleep. He stared at the boiling pot for a minute, a longing look on his face before he simply snorted and sat at a table, resting his head against the cool surface.

"Sleep well?" Cloud asked out of sheer curiosity. He rummaged for two bowls and silverware, pulling them out discreetly as he turned the heat off on the stove – he had been surprised to find that it even worked.

Roxas shook his head 'no', rolling his forehead over cooler areas of the table. "I feel like… I was beat on the head with something…" he mumbled into the table, watching his breath fog up the slick metal.

Cloud portioned the meal evenly, grabbing the bowls and sitting across from Roxas at the table. Slowly he placed one of the bowls in front of the Aven, shooting him a sympathetic look. "I haven't slept yet."

"Huh?" He lifted his head gingerly from the table, trying to ignore the pounding headache that pierced his temples. Staring over the steaming bowl of noodles he could clearly see graying bags of sleeplessness under the tall blond's bright blue eyes. Hesitantly he grabbed the bowl and moved it towards his face, breathing in the steam. "Why not?" he decided to ask; if they were going to be stuck together for four or so days, he might as well try and get time to pass faster.

The silence stretched on as Cloud ate, a thoughtful look on his face. Roxas wasn't sure if he could bring himself to eat, his head and stomach in revolt. Eventually he began to eat, slurping one noodle at a time to keep himself from vomiting.

"I don't want to dream," the tall blond said gloomily after a while. Roxas understood completely – having dream problems nearly his entire life; but there were some things you simply lived with. Instead of saying anything positive, however, Roxas simply shrugged, going back to his noodles purposefully.

They continued their new – near speechless, routine for days. Roxas would sleep – horrific images playing at the edge of his mind, while Cloud watched, each day his eyes sagged a little more, and the gray bags darkened. Every so often Cloud would attempt to strike up a conversation, only to be buffed by Roxas, until finally he said nothing at all – much to the blond scientist's pleasure.

"_We reach Gütral in thirteen hours," _Xion's voice rang throughout the hull of the ship. At first this made Roxas weary, but after days of her announcing the time until landing at seemingly random intervals, he began to grow used to the sound of the ship speaking to him.

Roxas ran a hand through the golden locks of his hair, scowling at the silent Genetic. "Go to sleep," he commanded offhandedly, pointing a thin finger towards the sleeping quarters, "You look like shit someone stepped in."

Cloud grunted, rolling his shoulders with a distant look of discomfort.

"It's only thirteen hours – like you'll even sleep that long," he began to reason, his voice taking on its usual snarky bite, "And if you're nightmares are _that _bad, you'll wake up. And if you scream loud enough – I'll wake you up."

"Promise?" Cloud asked, surprising the small blond. His normally clear blue eyes were dark and misty, the deep bags beneath them emphasizing his haggard look. Roxas felt a little notch in his chest twang guiltily to see the Genetic so miserable; and so he reluctantly agreed, folding his hands together irritably as Cloud thanked him and slowly made his way into the back.

After a long silence Roxas stared hard at the table surface. "Stupid Genetic…"

-o-

Everything in the ship jumped as they hit the thick atmosphere of Gütral, the force of breaking it reverberating throughout the ship interior. Roxas, who had been napping – resting his head on the smooth table, cursed loudly as the side of his head smacked down into the table. "Fuck!" He sat suddenly straight, rubbing his temple vigorously with a palm. And he hadn't even been dreaming that time either.

"_Reaching Gütral in forty seven minutes…"_

With a scowl, he got up from his stool, rummaging through the cupboards for a box of cookies. They were crunchy and crumbled easily, but he tossed them in his mouth as he went to the sleeping quarters to check on the Genetic for the first time in about twelve hours. He really hadn't heard any screaming, he didn't think.

Cloud lay motionlessly in his bed, his blankets crumpled and strewn about him. Roxas leaned in to wake the sleeping man, taking sour note of the dried trail of salty tears down the visible side of his face. Quickly he shook the man's shoulder, recoiling when Cloud stirred with a groan. "Wake up. We've hit the atmosphere."

For a moment Cloud simply lay in the bed dumbly, blinking his bright again eyes sleepily. "I…" he paused searching for words. "Did I really sleep thirteen hours?" he asked finally.

Roxas snorted. "No. Only twelve."

The tall blond mumbled something unintelligibly before rolling out of bed and dragging himself into the bathroom. Roxas only shrugged, muttering an insult or two before deciding to scrounge the kitchen further.

He was happily – or as happy as the Aven scientist could get – pecking away at a box of crackers, when Cloud entered the seating area, choosing to sit across from the small blond looking highly refreshed; small bags still could be found under his eyes, but they seemed to be vanishing with time. He wore his – somewhat – cleaned armor, and several interlocking swords filled the armor's built-in sheaths.

"How much longer until we dock?" he asked, holding a hand out in a silent demand for crackers.

Disgusted, Roxas simply shoved the entire box at the blond. He didn't want them anymore. "About fifteen minutes," he miffed.

Cloud ignored the Aven's display, taking the crackers and munching on them himself with a distant look. "We're looking for someone by the name of Sora," he said at last, discreetly watching Roxas' reaction from the corner of his eye.

The blond frowned. "So? You make it sound like I know him."

"Oh." Puzzled, Cloud bit into another cracker. "Well, he'll know where we should go next – or even who 'the dictator' is." He nodded sagely. "Sora's a fountain of knowledge – you just wouldn't know it by looking at him."

Roxas shrugged. "Oh, I'm _sure_." Cloud chose to say nothing.

Suddenly the ship dipped downwards, their stomachs jumping into their chests and a few of the boxes that remained on the floor slid into the next room. Angrily the small blond kicked a box away from his feet. "We're here," he said once the dipping motion stopped and the pain in his stomach eased.

The doors to the cockpit slid open and Xion stepped out. Wires were still in the process of disconnecting from random joints in her body with loud clicks as they disappeared back into the layout of the ship. "We have arrived."

Roxas stood, stretching a bit. His muscles were sore from being pushed to the limit followed by hardly moving for days. It was beginning to put stress on them.

The two blond's followed Xion out of the ship, walking down the steep incline of the ramp wearily. Roxas pulled at the sleeves of his thin, red jacket as the humidity of the planet struck him. For a moment he couldn't breathe, the thickness in the air pressing against his mouth and nose until he adjusted. He disliked the humidity – he preferred dry.

Tropical plants sprouted stubbornly from cracks in the industrial pavement, their fibrous bodies too thick and strong to kill with simple cutting and poisons.

As soon as the ramp returned to the ship, a large, burly man with customized armor approached them, holing out his gun menacingly. "Jess who do ye think ye are? Showin' up 'ere on Güt' in an unregistered ship?" Roxas blinked owlishly, he hadn't known the ship was unregistered – but again, Duune and Alkatoj were rather lenient on a few things.

Cloud cursed quietly, but denied the whole thing as Roxas began to fumble around in his pocket for his Commune. "Look there's some mistake," the tall blond said, straightening his posture to seem more defiant. Madly the scientist began hacking systems, trying to look casual and concerned as he did so – hardly listening to Cloud argue with the illiterate merc.

Finally he entered what data he had – excluding a photo ID of Cloud and their real names – into the Galactic system, hoping that no one caught it for a few months at the most.

"Hey, hey, Jorgen! The data's showin' up now. Der musta been some glitch in te system," a younger, more scrawny man in armor shouted out from a crowd in the background.

The large mercenary made a gruff noise in the back of his throat before spitting on the pavement. "Che, ya lucky bastards. I woulda shot ye all right through te skulls." He grumbled further, but retreated back to the group of armed persons.

Cloud motioned for them to follow him stiffly. That was a scare for him – not that he couldn't have taken them down, he just didn't feel like doing everything the hard way and creating a ruckus. He wanted to do this is as quickly and painlessly as possible. As they walked past the small crowd, Roxas couldn't help but notice a tall, dark man standing in the near center, his eyes deep and looming. He spoke to the man standing next to him, never taking his piercing eyes off the small blond. The man next to him nodded.

His stomach coiled and he hurried his pace a little, attempting to walk directly between Cloud and Xion. His skin crawled unpleasantly and he decided that there was definitely something _wrong _about Gütral.

Cloud led them off to a small inn, down a dingy little side street. It had a tarnished welcome sign, hardly legible after years of hanging in darkness and setting to rust in the unwavering humidity of the planet. The inn itself was ill-lit, grimy and to Roxas it smelt of mold. But the fat man behind the bar counter seemed pleasant enough, though Roxas couldn't stand to look at the man – his jowls flopping about as he spoke. It disgusted him.

"Ah, hello, hello!" the man said as Cloud approached. Roxas hung back, unsure of the situation, Xion stood by him – sending him sharp glances every so often. "What can I do fer ya? We've only one room available, so if that's what yer lookin' fer, I hope ya don't mind sharin'!" He sent Xion a rather perverted glance. "But I'm a busy man, always busy – so what'll it be?"

Cloud scratched at his cheek, his eyes narrowing slightly. "A couple of drinks first," he said evenly, "And if that doesn't kill us, then we'll take the room."

The fat man's eyes widened as if Cloud had just spoken some secret pass code that no one was to know of. "Oh, I remember ye!" he declared, puffing out his chest – his shirt rode over the curve of his plump stomach and he pulled it back down with a harrumph. "Yer that ex-soldier, who used to work fer the –"

Angrily Cloud slapped a gloved hand over the man's mouth. "I know who I am," he whispered dangerously. Suddenly Cloud seemed a completely different person to Roxas. He was rough, calculating, and over-all he was menacing and dark. It sent a small involuntary shiver down his spine. "And I know what I've done," he continued in his icy voice, "I also know what I _can _do – understand?"

The bartender nodded vigorously, his double-chin bulging as he did so. Slowly Cloud pulled his hand away from the man's mouth, sitting down on the nearest stool coolly. Immediately the fat man began pouring drinks, sliding a frothing mug down the table to Cloud.

Roxas sat next to the tall blond uncertainly, accepting the mug that was pushed at him reluctantly. He refused to drink from it. Xion didn't even acknowledge her mug. Roxas leaned towards Cloud as soon as the barman hurried out of earshot. "How do you plan to pay for the room?" he asked quietly.

After a moment he heard Cloud curse under his breath. "Do you have a credit bit?"

"Uh…" Dr. Dreg's cash had already run out back on Alkatoj, when he'd made Xion buy all the supplies – he'd even dipped into his own savings account, something he hated doing. "I can get one," he said, a sly twinkle in his eye.

There was a long pause as Cloud took a long drink from his mug. "Whatever you do," he said with a shake of his head. "Don't go too far from the door of the inn."

The small scientist nodded. He could feel the danger reeking the planet. He pushed his mug at the blond and stood, wandering back out of the inn. Carefully he wandered down the alley that led to the inn, his ears perking at every crunch of his shoe for any foreign sound. Something about this place made him feel paranoid, and he was unpleasantly sticky.

Once he hit the man street he stood at a corner casually, pulling up the hood to his clean jacket. Shoving his hands in his pockets he pushed off the wall of the building he had been leaning against and walked straight and determined. Soon enough he ran into someone rather harshly – his nimble fingers darting into a pocket, finding exactly what he was looking for. Normally it took him a few tries, but he allowed himself a small smirk as he fell over, falling on the person.

"Ow, shit," he groaned, rubbing his head with one hand while the other discreetly deposited the bit. He looked up to see a rather flushed girl sitting under him in a very feminine position – her knees touching while her feet splayed out from each other. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

He stood quickly, dusting himself off before holding a hand out to the girl. On inspection, Roxas realized she was beautiful. She had rich brown hair, styled in curly ringlets about her face and shoulders. Her eyes were a large, watery grey color and she looked up at him with the most innocent expression that he almost wanted to give her back her credit bit. Almost.

Tentatively she grabbed his hand and was hoisted back up onto her feet with a blush. "It's okay," she said meekly. "I'm Alane. You really should watch where you walk. This isn't a very… nice place."

"I've gathered that much," he replied stiffly. He scratched at the back of his head. "It was nice to meet you – I'm sorry again. I'll watch myself from now on – but I've really got to be going." He shot her a small, but fake smile. She gave him a timid wave as he trotted back down the alley. Before heading back into the inn, he checked the information on the credit bit – not surprised to see the girl didn't have much. He switched the information out, again putting in false information and Xion's photo.

For some reason he felt too guilty to use his own.

As he walked into the inn, he wasn't too surprised to see Cloud talking with a shady stranger, his right hand twitching over the hilt of one of his swords. Calmly he sat next to Xion, passing her the credit bit under the table. She took it without question – understanding the Galactic money system after minutes of Roxas explaining it to her on Alkatoj.

"He is gathering," she said in a low voice. Roxas shot her a questionable look. "Searching for person… Sora." Her guttural accent slurred the name in almost a sultry way.

Roxas nodded. He assumed that she had overheard the two talking; she probably had bionic hearing, as he couldn't hear a word they said, though he sat directly next to the tall blond. "Do you trust him?" he whispered out of curiosity.

Xion paused, her face utterly blank and devoid of any emotion, her deep, sapphire eyes stared directly at him. "What is… trust?"

"Never mind," he said with an upset frown. "There's no time to explain." Not that he wanted to anyway.

After a few more moments the shady man stood with a flourish and strode out of the inn, a finger hooked in his belt. Cloud sighed, taking another sip of his drink. "It might be a little harder than I thought."

With a deep frown Cloud brought a fist down on the table, making the mugs jump. The barman came rushing out of the back, obviously nervous. "Anything for you? How 'bout that room, yes? Nice lil' place, the room, won't find none better this side of town." Cloud motioned further down the table with a hand, Roxas nodded towards Xion, who handed the fat man the credit bit she'd earlier received.

The barman took the credit bit from Xion, his fat, sausage-like fingers brushed purposely against her hand. "Yer mighty cold," he pointed out.

A foreign anger roiled up in Roxas, his eyes narrowed and he stood slightly on his stool. "Fucking give us the room or we'll rip you damn arms off," he hissed. The man recoiled in horror, quickly thrusting the bit into the codex machine and nearly throwing it back at the raven haired girl. Cloud snorted in amusement.

He was going to have to ask forgiveness for that one later. With a sigh he sat back down. "I hate people," Roxas muttered to himself, pushing his still full mug away from him until it toppled over the side of the bar – smashing loudly on the other side. He felt slightly accomplished with himself – especially so when the barman didn't even come out of the back to clean it up.

"I didn't take you for a violent person," the tall blond said, standing and stretching a bit.

Roxas shrugged, standing as well and motioning for Xion to follow. "I'm not," he admitted with a frown, "Just really pissed off." They walked up the rickety staircase, testing almost every step before-hand as it creaked and groaned pathetically under their weight.

The only room that was unlocked they assumed was theirs, and once all three of them were inside Cloud locked it behind them – using several of the provided door locks. "That won't hold long if someone tries to break in – but it's better than nothing – a bit outdated too…" He sat on the floor in the corner, crossing his legs and arms, a very serious look on his face. "Roxas, does your Commune have tracking abilities?"

The small blond blinked in confusion, the sudden change in topic throwing him for a slight loop. "Uh… only if I hook it up to some sort of server… why?" He had a gut feeling that he wasn't going to like what the blond was going to say next.

Without answering Cloud looked to Xion. "Do you have a server Roxas can link to?"

Xion only stared off at the wall as if she hadn't heard Cloud at all. After a few moments of deliberation, she held out her arm, a small port-hole reveling itself in the inside curve of her elbow. Slightly nervous, Roxas inspected the gap – assuming that this was one of the many ports that the ship cords would plug themselves into. He shook his head, pulling out his Commune. "The port doesn't match up – it won't work."

Cloud looked defeated, but Xion took the Commune from Roxas, much to the small blond's protest. "Wait," she said. From the small port in her arm, a slim cord slithered out, snake-like. It prodded against Roxas' Commune until it found a port and plugged itself in, making a small hissing noise as it did so. "Connecting… … … Connected server – tracking enabled."

With a small click the cord disconnected and retreated back into the humanoid's arm. She handed Roxas back his Commune and he took it back wearily, weighing the device in his hand. She better not have put any viruses on it. "Roxas is zero point three yards in distance."

"Whatever you do, don't lose that," Cloud said. He pointed to the small device in Roxas' hands, a sharp look in his eye. "The Society is on the lookout for you. I'm pretty sure, at least. I'd take no chances with them."

"The Society?" the scientist asked, his face falling at the news. He didn't want to be wanted on a planet like this. It couldn't bode well for him – or anyone for that matter. How anyone could survive in such filth, darkness and criminal activity, he didn't know.

Cloud nodded solemnly, a hand moving to grip a sword hilt reflexively. "They're the ones that run the show here on Gütral. They're neck deep in everything you could imagine: the black market, slave trade, burglary, hit men – anything and everything you could think of."

Roxas sat on the bed, relishing the thickness of the mattress, even if was rather dingy. "You don't think they'll do anything?" he asked, slightly nervous.

The tall blond's face grew dark. "Anything's possible." He refused to say anything further, no matter how angry or desperate the little Aven seemed to grow.

Uneasily the three settled down in the room. Cloud and Xion took watch while Roxas lay back on the bed, his mind racing and unwilling to sleep in fear of his dreams and whatever might happen in the night. He rolled onto his side, propping his head up on his arm, staring at the door anxiously – his stomach rolling.

"Sora is small," Cloud said suddenly, "brunet and loud. He sometimes goes by Hikari. It's supposed to mean something in some dead Earth-Language. I never bothered to find out though."

Roxas rolled over, highly annoyed. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I have a feeling you might meet him before I do." Roxas had a feeling he was right, but he refused to admit it. He frowned and rolled back over, staring up at the tattered ceiling glumly. Slowly his eyes slipped closed, no matter how stubbornly he tried to prevent it. After an hour or two of attempting to stay awake he drifted off.

-o-

_Snow fell from the vast, cloudy sky, pricking him on his face on occasion. There seemed to be a giant smile plastered on his lips, no matter how cold his cheeks felt. A young woman – maybe eighteen smiled down at him, her features bright and relaxed, even though she was bundled in swaddling clothes, and her long, wispy hair was tucked back into a thick, fur-lined hood._

_The girl said something to him that he couldn't hear, but he felt a joy spread through him as he followed her across an open field of frozen grass, the plants crunching loudly under his feet._

_The picture faded in and out of his mind – like a screen losing connection, until it shut off completely._

"_Zoja!"_

-o-

Roxas woke just as the wooden door crumpled to the floor with a crash. Cloud was already up, pulling out his swords in sequence, fusing them together with bursts of electrical energy that seemed to come from the swords themselves. He shot Roxas a wild look, throwing an arm out. "Kid, hide!" And with that he charged towards the men filing into the room, powering up several levels as he did so.

Without further instruction Roxas rolled off the bed and crawled underneath, drawing his legs up to his chest. "Oh Goddess, forgive me! Show mercy and smile upon me this night. If I die please welcome me with open arms, knowing that I, your faithful servant, have lived gratefully in your graces –" A loud crash and clamor interrupted his prayer and he cringed, attempting to fold into himself further. A man dropped to the floor, his eyes were glassy and blood poured from the corner of his mouth. Roxas tried to ignore the dead man's unblinking stare.

There were shouts and screams coming from the entire building. The sound of bullets ringing in his ears as clashing of metal against metal resounded through the room and hallway.

"Ah! Fuck get her away!"

"– the kid! Where _is_ he! Where's the kid!"

"Shit – we're wastin' time! Augh…!"

The scuffling grew louder, and Roxas could see feet moving about intricately. He counted at least six people in the room alone – not including Cloud and Xion's bare feet. He was going to buy her shoes someday, assuming he lived.

Glass shattered somewhere near him and something heavy landed on the bed above him, the mattress sinking down and pressing him closer to the floor. He coughed uncomfortably as the bed above him dipped further until he couldn't breathe properly.

Suddenly a large hand wrapped around one of his ankles harshly, digging painfully into his ankle and dragging him out from under the bed. Vainly he tried to grasp a post with slim fingers, only to have them pried away by a stomp of a boot heel. "Found 'im!" There was a loud cheer from the room and a very dismayed cry from Cloud.

Roxas cursed and spat and shouted as the man tossed him over a shoulder, nursing his sore hands to his chest. His face met the man's back and for a moment he thought his nose had been broken. "Guys!" he shouted out, holding out a hand desperately as the man climbed through the broken window. Cloud was locked in combat, his massive sword sparking with energy; he looked back – his crystalline eyes reflecting fear and despair.

His stomach dropped as the man jumped, falling two stories before landing and taking off running at an impossible speed. Roxas' world lurched to and fro as the man ran, but he could distinctly make out Xion jumping from the window and giving chase. For a moment or two he felt relief, but to his disbelief he found the man was actually _faster _than the humanoid girl.

Realizing the man was most likely a Synth, he gathered every ounce of courage he possessed and shouted, "Xion! Save Cloud!"

Why he risked his life for the sake of the scum Genetic, he wasn't sure – but he wanted to chalk it up to being even; when the blond saved his life back on Alkatoj.

The girl stopped running, skidding to a sudden halt, and a small cloud of dust wafting up behind her. She stared after the blond until he couldn't see her any longer. He wanted to cry, to curl up and vanish. He wanted to go home – to his familiar bed back on Duune; to bitch about his co-workers and wake up to a faulty climate-control mechanism. He was tired of death, and destruction, and all the misfortune that had been thrown his way. Goddess what did he do?

How long he had been toted around like a sack, he had no idea, but by the time his kidnapper stopped, the man was wheezing with effort. "Damn kid, you better be worth it…" The man walked down a flight of stairs, into the earth, entering a rather concealed doorway. He walked down endless, identical halls – probably walking aimlessly to confuse the blond, and soon enough Roxas had lost his sense of direction.

He was brought into some form of dungeon – cells with glowing plasma bars and high-tech security locks installed on each one. Without another word the man tossed him in the nearest open cell and closed the gate. "Ha, let's see ya try and get out of this mess," the man said with an ugly sneer before trotting off.

Panicked, Roxas checked his pockets, sagging with relief to find his Commune still intact and in working condition. "Thank Goddess," he muttered. Sadly he rubbed his eyes with the heels of hands. And it was definitely a mess that he'd gotten himself into.

Before he could even begin to wallow in misery, the doors to the dungeon creaked open and slammed shut, the sound of heavy footfall filling the room. Soon enough the same tall, dark man that he'd seen earlier that day at the docks, stood in front of his cell, his posture perfect and overbearing. "You are a difficult one to find; in a city full of eyes and ears. I commend you."

Not knowing what to say or do, Roxas simply sent the man a confused look. His hands shook slightly and he slipped them into his pockets. "Silent, too, excellent; you wouldn't believe the number of people that babble as soon as they're set behind bars." Flippantly the man flicked a long strand of graying brown hair behind his shoulder. "I am Zoltan, leader of the Gütral branch of The Society. No doubt you've heard of me?"

Slowly Roxas shook his head. He'd never in his _life _heard of someone called Zoltan. What a stupid name, too. "Ah, so you're not from Outer-Galactic Systems. Excellent. To the point, then." The man began to pace in front of Roxas' cell. In the scientist's opinion the man was too fruity to be some evil society's head member – but he recalled how threatening and dangerous he looked from afar, and could understand that first impressions were difficult to change. "You're young and crafty, this much I can tell about you. You're ability to hack systems must be a force to be reckoned with, if you were indeed the one to override our systems with false registration for your ship."

"What do you want from me?" Roxas finally dared, his voice infuriated. They had no proof of anything; but what upset him the most was that – in a sense – he'd been _caught_.

Zoltan paused his pacing. "Feisty. I like that. But to answer your question: I want you to work for me – for The Society, directly under me. This is a once in a lifetime offer," he said, an evil, sharp smile making its way onto his pale face. "With your abilities, this branch could go places – _high _places. That is of course if you can prove yourself to me. I'll have someone bring you to a computer room – give a small task at first…" He twirled a strand of hair around his forefinger in thought, a pleased look plastered on his face. "And if you refuse," he continued with a sigh, "I'm pretty sure you'll catch a good price in the slave market. You_ do_ look rather exotic."

He stepped directly in front of the blond, turning to face him and leaning down. "So, what'll it be? Hmm?"

Roxas looked around his cell with wide, oceanic eyes. He didn't see any foreseeable escape at the moment, and being put up for slave auction was out of the question. With a slump of his shoulders and a scowl he agreed. "Fine," he said with obvious disgust and despair.

"Perfect, wonderful. I'm sure you'll fit in with the rest soon enough – you're not that different from us." That comment had Roxas reeling. He stared dumbly as the man began to go on about sending someone to mentor him, but he wasn't really listening. He refused to believe he was _anything _like these… heartless freaks. He felt cold and empty, and he watched with relief as Zoltan left him to his misery.

-o-

Roxas grew bored in his cell. He understood that he was being held captive and that his life was in relative danger, but one could only pray and count tiles so much in a day. He pulled his Commune from his pocket, determined to get some upper hand in the lonely situation. He was tired of sitting around helpless and he felt that his time to prove himself worthy of Xion's mission was at its reckoning.

For minutes he fruitlessly attempted to hack the systems of the building. He wasn't familiar with the encoding they used, but was adamant to find some repeating pattern that he could use as a starting base. His eyes burned from the screen glare, and a small headache was forming between his shapely brows.

The dungeon door opened once again and quickly he shoved his Commune in his pocket, feigning boredom. A small, brunet walked in front of his cell, his mouth half open as if he was getting ready to speak – a sudden dumbfounded look on his thin, feminine face. Suddenly Roxas' skin tingled with a familiar warmth that was both comforting and frightening. "You… you're Aven?" the brunet said in a near whisper.

"So are you," Roxas nearly gasped. He scrambled to his feet to meet the equally blue gaze of the brunet across from him. Never in his entire life had he met another Aven – so few of them there were.

Curiously they both reached forward until their fingertips brushed against one another's. It felt as if Roxas received an electric shock of some sort. It hadn't hurt, but his hand tingled awkwardly, the sensation travelling up to his elbow. The brunet suddenly withdrew his hand as if burnt. "O-Oh… What did I come here for…?" He scratched at his thick, brown locks. "Y-yeah, that's right. I'm you're mentor here in The Society. My name's Sora."

"R-Roxas…" For some reason he felt naked in front of Sora, as if the brunet could see into his very soul and his opinion was the only one in the Universe that mattered.

Sora nodded, a confused look on his face. "Let me get you out of there. Whatever you do, don't run. You won't live to see the consequences… It's… it's just how it is…" The small brunet moved to the keypad next to the lock on the cell, punching in a few numbers before a loud disengaging click could be heard and the gate swung open easily. "I… If you would follow me."

Roxas followed Sora solemnly, keeping his eyes down as they walked the halls of what was becoming more and more like an underground fortress. Armed men stood at every corner, shifting and shuffling in their spots, just waiting for one fuck up to shoot someone in the head.

He was led into a massive room, large computers filled the spaces on each wall of the room; the machines whirred with power around him and for a moment he felt more at home than he had in a long time. "This is the secondary security room," Sora said as the door slid shut behind him. He turned to a keypad and punched in a code, unwary of Roxas' quick, prying eyes. "It's safe to talk here, there are no monitors here." With large, curious eyes Sora turned to him, rubbing his chin in thought. "What brings an Aven all the way out here?" he asked.

"I could ask the same," Roxas retorted, stepping up to the foremost – and the largest, computer in the room, running his nimble fingers over the keyboard almost longingly. "Do you happen know someone by the name of Cloud? Tall, blond, Genetic with personality issues?" If he guessed right, then this was the Sora that Cloud had mentioned to him earlier.

With a glance over his shoulder he saw Sora seriously thinking his question over. "And if I do?" came the loaded question.

The blond scowled, turning back to the computer. He brought up the security login page, effortlessly making his way into the system. It was always easier to hack something with a terminal connected to the server in question. "Do you enjoy being a lackey for The Society? I'm pretty sure Yunalesca doesn't approve."

Sora bristled immediately. "Don't you _dare _bring that up! I'm not here by choice!" he nearly spat in heated anger. Roxas almost smiled.

"I didn't think so." With a press of a few buttons, a giant grid map of the fortress appeared on the screen. "Do you want to be free, then?"

Deep blue eyes narrowed dubiously. "What? Do you think you can escape? You think I haven't _tried_? It's impossible!" Sora stomped up to him, forcing the blond to face him. "Who do you think you _are_?" he demanded.

Roxas shot him a confused look. "I'm Roxas – I told you that. And nothing's impossible with planning and a little help from…" he paused, honestly considering what he was about to say next, "… friends."

Sora threw his arms up in disbelief. "I've been trapped here for the past eight years of my life. I think I would know impossible if I saw it."

"From one Aven to another – for what that's worth; please trust me. And if you try to stop me – I'll probably never be forgiven by The Goddess." His eyes were clear and sharp, determination seeping from the scientist. Sora took a step back, his thin shoulders slumping in defeat. "Cloud is looking for you," he said at last. "I don't really know what his plans are, but if you help me get out of here I can promise you a free ride off this garbage planet and an entire new persona – if you wish." He snorted. "I can hack into _Galactic _systems from a _Commune_. The Society's systems are nothing if I can get a hold of a terminal like this." He wiped his hand over the keyboard for emphasis.

For a moment he felt vulnerable. Even if he did put up his brave front, Sora could run out on him now and have him killed and there would be nothing he could do – even if he wanted to. "And if you fuck up and get us both killed?" Roxas thought he heard a hint of desperation in the brunet's voice.

"Then may The Goddess have mercy on us both…"

Sora sighed dramatically, running a hand through his unmanageable hair several times. "This is so sudden… I mean – you expect me to just… leap blindly into you're little plan?"

With a huff Roxas returned to the computer, pulling out his Commune. He downloaded the schematics to the building, pinpointing their location and marking it before sending to Xion through the server link. "Don't think of it as jumping," he mumbled, "But more like being dragged…" He opened the security systems, disabling everything he possibly could without being overly noticeable. "I'd stay away from the door if I were you."

Suddenly a reinforced titanium door clamped down over the original door, making Sora jump with a startled squeal. "You're insane!" the brunet cried.

"Me?" he gave an amused snort. "Yeah, maybe." With a flourish of his hands, he set to the computer, bringing up security cameras and unlocking key point doors. "They should be coming anytime now…" he said with a tiny, anxious frown.

Sora was next to him, watching his hands fly across the computer's board with amazement. "How are you doing that?" His blue eyes skittered over the keyboard as Roxas worked, trying to see some method to the keys he punched.

Roxas didn't answer him, even though he had a half assed reply at the ready. In the very corner camera he spotted both Xion and Cloud approaching the building at a full run. Immediately he disabled the cameras in building along with every security precaution, including alarms and traps. "When we get out of here – assuming we do, just answer whatever questions Cloud has. It's the least you can do."

"Yeah," Sora said, suddenly more open to the situation – he must have been more of an optimist then Roxas had originally presumed. "I will – no sweat!"

A small smile twitched onto the blond's tanned face. "Thanks," he said for the first time in years. It felt strange to say it, but it felt okay to say it to Sora – a fellow Aven. "Pretty much sit tight… then get ready to run."

As he expected, another person began to attempt to restore the security of the building, frantically trying to break through Roxas' intricate encoding locks. With firm strokes of the keyboard he managed to thwart any attempts made until more and more users tried to undo his coding little by little. Vainly he strove to keep hold of the security systems, but there had to be at least six others against him. His hands cramped from effort, his mind was racing with encoding counters, and a small sweat began to break out on his temples from nervousness.

If it came down to it he could hold the room for a finite amount of time, but it would be long enough for Cloud and Xion to find them; at least he hoped that was the case.

Sora stood next to him nervously, seeing the effort Roxas put into the computer and fearing for the worst. His eyes scanned over the screen, seeing only letters and numbers building and falling from the screen – complete gibberish to him, but Roxas looked to be reading it like a book. "W-what's going on?" he asked, hardly keeping the frightened waver from his voice.

"They're trying to get systems back online… a lot of them are… so far they haven't been able to fix anything." He bent further over the keyboard.

After a few tense moments, there was a loud banging from the doorway. Sora squeaked, startled. "Did they find us?"

Quickly the blond pulled out his Commune, checking the tracking system. "No – They're here." He undid the reinforced door to the room, suddenly stopping his effort to disable all security and bringing up an entirely new window. Working on borrowed time, he quickly sent a data wipe throughout the system. As it loaded he put a lock on it. "Sora, type something random! Now!"

The brunet, in a panic, pounded on the keyboard a few times before submitting the new lock password. Roxas ran to the door, Sora in tow. He punched in the door sequence that he'd seen Sora use, sighing in relief to see Xion and Cloud on the other side of the door – only slightly bloodied.

"Let's get the fuck out of here!" Cloud said gruffly, panting slightly. "Sora? You too! Let's go!"

Roxas grabbed the brunet's arm, taking off at a run – Xion quickly heading him off and leading the way, with Cloud in the rear. "It's… about time… you guys showed up!" Roxas snapped, panting as his legs protested from ill-use. He was going to have to grow more accustomed to running for his life.

An armored merc jumped from around a corner, brandishing a plasma rifle. "Stop where you are or I'll shoot y–"

Before the man could even finish – his mouth wide as he screamed orders – Xion charged him, making to punch him. Her fist went into his open mouth as she ran until it protruded from the back of his skull with a sickening crunch. Effortlessly the raven haired girl ripped his head from his shoulders, using the momentum to fling the decapitated head from her arm.

It hit the once saline wall, splattering against the metal and sliding to the ground. Roxas suddenly met more resistance from Sora. He looked back to see the horrified brunet, struggling to keep up – salty tears cascading down the curves of his high cheek bones. "S-sh… sh-she…"

"Sora… whatever you do, keep running."

The brunet nodded, picking up his pace as well as he could, the fat tears falling from his ocean blue eyes only making them look bigger and bluer. Roxas turned back forward, almost falling over in relief as he saw the exit.

He felt a hand on his back and he threw a wild glance over his shoulder to see a panicked Cloud pushing both Sora and him forward. "Quick! To the docks… Get to the ship!"

A single gunshot resounded nearby and a plasma bullet embedded itself in the ground near the blond Aven's feet, scorching the brown, clay dirt. Needing no further encouragement he pumped his legs as fast as he could, no matter how much pain he felt in his legs, or how much they trembled beneath him from the strain. He could worry about it once they were safe.

For a brief moment, he wished they could leave a planet without being shot at.

The streets were lined with thick crowds of confused and frenzied people, and Roxas just barely managed to grab a hold of the nape of Xion's leather vest before they hit the swarm. They pushed and pulled and jostled about, and Roxas worried on the inside of his cheek. At this rate anyone could catch up with them and they'd be a sitting target.

"Guys, follow me!" Sora said suddenly. The blond barely heard him over the chaos of the crowd. He looked back to see Sora heading off to a side, a tan hand wrapped around Cloud's forearm.

With all his might Roxas pulled Xion from her path by her collar. "This way!" he ground out when she finally looked at him. "Follow Sora, okay?" Her body finally changed direction, and Roxas struggled to keep his hold on her.

Sora pushed through the confusion expertly, leading them into a system of dark alleys and tunnels. The brunet ran stealthily, Roxas noticed, peeking around corners first before taking off down a turn at full speed. "Not many people know about these passages," Sora whispered aloud as he crouched next to a building. He pointed to a gap between buildings, a foot and a half wide. "The docks are through this, but you have to kind of… shuffle to get through."

"Shit," Cloud cursed softly, a patch of dried blood stained on his cheek. "I don't know if I'll fit."

Roxas shrugged. "Maybe you should lose some weight."

The blond Genetic shot him a dangerous glare and he opted to go through the gap first, sliding through side-wise, Xion right behind him. "Ha, ha, you're so _damn _funny Roxas."

The blond scientist peeked around the corner of the buildings carefully as he approached the end of the path, spotting their ship resting among others. Cloud managed to fit in the gap, his broad chest and sword making it difficult to move in any direction other than back and forth. "It's clear," he mumbled, slipping out of the crevice hurriedly.

Xion followed soon after, along with Sora. The raven-haired girl almost immediately took off for the ship. As if the ship knew of her approach, the long, smooth ramp began to descend to the ground. "Let's go!" Sora said, tugging on Roxas' arm. The blond followed his fellow Aven without much coaxing, but for a moment he thought he was obligated to wait for Cloud – who finally did make it out of the gap with a string of curses; seeing as he'd been left behind.

Roxas felt grateful as his feet touched the ramp, climbing up its steep slope, panting hard. He was also grateful for Sora's shortcut – otherwise The Society could already be here and waiting for them in an ungodly amount.

Both he and Sora collapsed once they were inside the ship – Xion was already in the cockpit, and he wasn't surprised when he heard the familiar sound of whirring engines bursting to life.

"Shit, shit, shit!" he heard Cloud nearly yell out as he ran to the ship. "Right behind me!" he called up to them. Roxas raised a confused brow. Cloud climbed the steep ramp in about three massive strides and a leap, toppling on top of the two clueless Aven's in time for the cabin to light up with gunfire.

The tinkling of bullets hitting against metal could be heard all around the blond, and he dared not move – even though he probably couldn't with the weight of the tall blond a top of him.

"Oh, Goddess, oh Goddess…" he heard Sora whisper frantically next to him.

Once the doors finally closed, and the sound of gunfire was but a faint echo, Cloud finally pushed himself off the two Avens.

Roxas and Sora sat up; dazed. The ship took off quickly, the trio sliding further into the ship as it went. Cloud groaned.

"Oh Goddess!" Sora cried out, jumping up frantically, "You're _bleeding_!"

-o-

**A/N: **A special thank you to all those that reviewed and alerted last chapter. And another thanks to those that waited so patiently for this one. :] You're all awesome, amazing, and super fantastic.

More thanks to **Lucia–luce** for continued beta-ing of this mofo. Really. I probably drive her to the brink of insanity and back again. :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Kismet**

"Oh Goddess!" Sora cried out, jumping up frantically, "You're _bleeding_!"

Roxas paused, his mind freezing to do a double-take at the blond writhing on the ground next to him. Cloud's face was a mix of pain and the effort he took to not show it. "I'm _fine_," he croaked, a small hiss passing his lips. "Fuck…"

The small blond stood, noticing for the first time the small trickle of blood, deep red, on the floor. Following the blood trail with his eyes, he figured that Cloud had been injured somewhere on his lower body – or possibly his arms. It was difficult to tell.

Sora rushed to the blond's side, running his slim hands across Cloud's armor, his blue eyes concentrated as he searched. "Just… Goddess will you stay still?" the brunet complained, as Cloud attempted to thwart his search for the fourth time. "I know you won't die from blood loss, but what if it's something that could really do damage?"

"Look," Cloud groaned, slowly rolling himself onto his back with a pained hiss, sucking the air harshly through his clenched teeth, "It's just a bullet wound. It was a lucky shot – hit the joint mesh."

Roxas listened to the two squabble for a few moments, feeling highly uncomfortable with the familiarity and friendliness the two showed each other. He felt rather left out, but grateful at the same time. "Just take your armor off so we can dress the wound, okay? It's not going to kill you!" Sora tried, once more, his voice taking on a whine as he crossed his arms over his narrow chest.

Cloud snorted, remaining stubborn. "No."

Annoyed, Roxas rolled his eyes. "What?" he started, angry and chastising, "Are you scared to take off your armor? Is the big bad Genetic afraid of a little Aven?"

Cloud shot Roxas a hateful glare. "What's that supposed to mean?" he snarled. Roxas took a reflexive step backwards, huffing angrily. Finally Cloud sighed, defeat apparent in the slump of his once tense shoulders. "Fine."

Refusing the brunet Aven's help, Cloud stood up, favoring his right leg as he leaned his hip against one of the tables. With effort, and a few pained grunts, he managed to pry his armor off, tossing it into the next room of the ship. Roxas sat at the table on the other side of the hull, watching with slight amusement as Sora inspected the blood trail.

Finally Sora let out a long whistle with a little giggle afterwards. "Wow Cloud. You sure are lucky… I think."

Out of sheer curiosity, Roxas stood, peering over Sora's shoulder. "Uh…" Taking a glance at the bloody stain on Cloud's clothes, it was easy to tell the general area that he'd been shot. "You were shot in –"

Cloud shot him a dangerous glare. "Shut. Up."

"Roxas, do you have any medical tape or gauze?" Sora asked, turning worried blue eyes to the snickering blond.

Roxas frowned. "I don't think so… We do have amino-based solvent… If that helps?"

Sora sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in thought. "Yeah, it will – but I need something clean to dress his wound in. Because of its location – if it grows stiff, then he'll probably never walk correctly again."

That bit caught Cloud's attention, his eyes tearing away from the section of counter he'd been glaring at. "What?"

"Yeah – I mean you'll have a limp, a weird one; but nothing major." Roxas snorted. "Anyway," the brunet continued, ignoring the dumbfounded – and very pissed off look, on Cloud's face. "Clean dressings? Even just Nylunic Cotton clothes would be fine."

With a heavy heart and encouragement from his fellow Aven, Roxas produced a plain white shirt – fresh from the package and very much clean. He watched as the brunet tore it into segments, dipping a corner of it into the jar of ointment cream. "Okay, you're going to have to… uh, take your pants off," he said awkwardly.

Roxas turned and left at that point. He'd seen enough for one day, and from the sounds of it, Cloud was putting up a fuss. "Baby…" he muttered as he flopped down on his bed. His stomach snarled at him with hunger, but he ignored it for the moment, content on just relaxing and enjoying the feeling of not being dead. He wondered how long that would last.

-o-

Sora frowned as he finished tying the final knot in the makeshift bandage around the highest part of Cloud's thigh. "All done," he chirped, trying to drive away the anxious feeling in his chest. Cloud grunted, pulling his pants back up quickly – quietly yelping in pain when they brushed against the bandage. "It's going to sting for a bit, but you'll be fine…" he trailed off uncertainly.

The blond Genetic looked uncomfortable, shifting in his spot before muttering, "Thanks. I owe you again."

"It's nothing. But what were you doing back on Gütral? I thought you and Tifa got married, decided to settle down and have kids?" He sat down on one of the stools bolted to the floor, resting his elbows on the cool surface of the table.

"We did," Cloud said after a long, pregnant silence. "Minus the kid part."

The room suddenly felt colder and darker as Sora looked up at Cloud's conflicted face. He could almost smell the sorrow pouring from the man. It was obvious that something happened, but the brunet didn't have the heart to ask what. "Oh."

He twiddled his thumbs nervously as Cloud laid a hand on the table. "I'm going to get some sleep. You should try too, and then we can talk – I didn't mean for you to be dragged into this mess."

Sora waved a placating hand at the blond. "It wasn't your choice. It was mine – and technically, Roxas saved my life. So, let's just call it even and we'll be good." He sent Cloud one of his infamous bright smiles. The man chuckled, leaving Sora with a small wave and a goodnight.

The little brunet Aven sat alone, staring at the convex walls of the ship idly. Where was that girl he had seen before? He wondered to himself, tapping a finger on the metal of the table. A small turbulence bump interrupted his thoughts. He blinked a few times before his blue eyes fell upon the doors to the cockpit.

"Is she the one… flying?" he asked himself, his voice full of doubt. The girl definitely didn't _look _old enough to pilot, but then again, people weren't what they appeared to be – as he had learned over and over in his life.

With tired muscles he stood, running a hand through his thick head of hair as he made his way to the cockpit doors. For a few moments he debated going inside – slightly anxious about the whole ordeal, before the doors opened on their own accord and he felt compelled to go in.

It was nearly pitch black in the cockpit and Sora found himself squinting against the dark to attempt to see in front of him. "H-hello?" he called out carefully, taking a prudent step forward. Suddenly the doors snapped closed behind him, engulfing the brunet in darkness. He gave a startled cry, his hands automatically moving to cover his face and ribs. "W-what's going on?" he dared ask after a few moments of frightening silence.

Something cold, thick, and snakelike wrapped around his waist, creeping before squeezing him suddenly and pulling him further into the room. Before he really knew what was going on around him, two glowing orbs of the deepest blue were piercing into his eyes. The room brightened dimly, but he could make out the form of the girl he'd seen earlier, shapeless images swirling and clacking about her. She closed in on him, pressing her face close to his. A cold seemed to radiate from her and he shivered involuntarily.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice was slow with a suave accent he'd never rightly heard before. It seemed to him as if the walls themselves spoke to him.

Nervous, the brunet bit his lip, unable to run like his legs were itching to do. "I-I'm Sora… T-the one that Roxas saved – on Gütral?" At the mention of the blond's name, the grip on whatever held him slackened.

The girl moved away from him, giving him some breathing to room, to his relief. "No destination set," she said after a long minute of silence. "Planet Gütral was hostile – Cloud… injured?"

Sora nodded vigorously, a small, desperate thought coming to mind. "Yes! He needs proper treatment. Somewhere he can relax and heal – I-I mean, you guys had to have been through a lot; I can tell. You should find a planet that's out of the way – off the crime charts and not under heavy observation." He bit his lip nervously as the raven haired girl only stared at him with her uncomfortable gaze, her face remaining blank.

"Where?" she asked finally.

The brunet's mind raced, accessing the pockets of information he'd memorized over the years for self-preservation. He needed somewhere quiet, out of the way and slack on government officials and The Society, and not to mention close. He didn't know how long Cloud could go with just salve and bandages. Plasma wounds festered quickly without proper attention.

"There's this planet," he started, feeling pressured for information, "named Idyllia, it's a low-key place and close by, too."

Xion looked to be skeptical to the brunet, but finally her lips twitched and he gulped. He had a faint feeling that she could devour him without a hint of trouble or guilt. "Arriving Idyllia in twenty hours," she announced. He thought he heard an echo, but put it off as being frightened; he tended to be hypersensitive when he was scared. The grip around his waist slackened completely, sliding off from his hips to disappear into the darkness of the floor.

Without another word he stumbled frantically out of the cockpit, running through the ship hull until he found Roxas and Cloud bundled in their respective beds. Roxas was twisting and turning in his blankets, mumbling incoherently to himself. Sora jumped into the blond Aven's bed, crawling over him to grab his shoulders and shake him awake. "Oh Goddess, wake up!" he pleaded with the sleeping blond.

Suddenly Roxas' blue eyes snapped open, too focused and wild. Sora gasped and threw his arms around the blond's neck affectionately. "Oh, thank you – I-I thought I was going to die… A-And that girl… the killing; Goddess, what's happening, Roxas?"

Roxas, very unsure of what was going on and trying to recuperate from a rather strange and vivid dream, pried the shuttering brunet from his neck. "What the hell are you going on about?" he asked, trying to regain his wits. "Why are you in my bed?" he added as an afterthought.

Sora blushed, but remained where he was. "Sorry – I just… panicked. That… girl – what's going on?"

"Oh; Xion." He frowned. He'd completely forgotten that Sora had no idea as to what Xion was and what they were attempting to do – he thought Cloud was supposed to do the explaining. If he told the brunet what Xion was… he was afraid that Sora could take the information and use it against them if he decided to. "I don't know how to explain," he said, rubbing his eyes with sweaty palms and grimacing. "If you found out and left…"

The brunet sighed, almost cooing. "Roxas, you _saved _me. I'll follow you until the ends of the Universe. I made a promise, didn't I?"

"Just to answer questions…"

With a grin, Sora wagged a thin finger at him. "Information normally comes at a cost – and if my loyalty is the cost of knowing what's going on here; well, you have it."

Roxas stared at him disbelievingly. "You'd put yourself at risk. Just like that?"

"Yep; just like that."

The blond took in a shuddering sigh. "If you're sure…" His blue eyes stared down at his clasped hands as he spoke, quietly, his feathery voice light and wispy. Sora stared, transfixed. "Xion… is a humanoid…"

-o-

When Roxas finished explaining what he knew, Sora sat dumbfounded at the foot of the bed. There was a solemn air in the room; Cloud grunted in his sleep. "This is deeper than I thought," the brunet said. He sent a sad look at the sleeping blond. "I can't believe it."

"I wouldn't either, if I were you," Roxas admitted. He crossed his arms across his chest, staring at Cloud with an unreadable look on his haggard, sun-kissed face. "These past few weeks, I've seen more death, violence and blood then I've ever read or watched in my entire life. If I could, I'd go back to Duune – do things right; even though I never did anything _wrong_. But this is my fate, I suppose."

Sora crawled up the bed, settling down next to the blond – the odd tingling sensation assaulting the bare skin of Roxas' arm. "I know what you mean," he murmured, looking hesitant. He looked up to Roxas imploringly, only to shake his head. "I don't know anything about politics, really. But then again – I haven't really delved into contacts for anything relating to it in a while. From the sounds of it though, this is going to be dangerous. I honestly don't think Cloud and… that girl will be able to keep us from… you know."

Roxas nodded. It was hard enough for the two of them to protect him alone – Sora would only double their efforts. His face turned sour just thinking about it. "What about Cloud?" he asked softly. "He was only shot –"

"In the ass, yeah," Sora finished with a small chuckle. He sighed deeply. "Plasma wounds are serious – why do you think they stopped using metals, even though they have more penetration? One little nick from a plasma bullet on your hand – treated improperly, you'll lose your whole arm in time."

Bewildered, Roxas sent a worried look to Cloud. As much as he despised the blond Genetic, a fate like that seemed… wrong. "He'll be fine though – if we can get somewhere safe and treat him properly within the week, it'll be like nothing happened." Sora grinned a flattering smile, and Roxas found himself relaxing. "We're headed to Idyllia; in about a day. It's a relatively safe place, and I think I know someone that could help us out on this suicide mission."

With a disbelieving shake of his head Roxas faintly smiled. "You've got this planned out already, don't you?"

Sora shrugged. "Spur of the moment things normally get a person killed; I consider you lucky."

"I don't."

A looming silence hung about the two Avens, both drowning in their own thoughts. Roxas worried on his lower lip, rubbing his cold hands together and thinking; his brows drawn low in concentration. He'd never really thought about his situation before – how exactly they were supposed to pull off something like this. He'd never thought they would actually _do _it. He hadn't cared. Everything now suddenly seemed different; off. Sora was… innocent – and as much as he hated Cloud, so was the Genetic. They had risked their lives for this cause; one they weren't even sure was _real_.

He gave a sufferable groan, smothering his face in his hands. "This is so…" he trailed off, snuffing his nose.

"Yeah," the brunet agreed. He yawned, stretching his arms high before letting them fall to the bed. "I think my brain's going to fry," he joked, nudging Roxas with an elbow.

The blond frowned at him – the situation feeling oddly familiar, making his stomach settle uneasily. "Don't hurt yourself," he grumbled, crawling off the side of the bed. "Go to sleep," he said softly as he left the sleeping quarters.

He watched as the brunet hesitantly snuggled into the blankets, before sighing deeply. For a reason unknown to him, he felt like a failing parent, watching their young struggle without knowing what to do. A deep frown was etched onto his face as he left for the kitchen, pulling out utensils and ingredients. He set about making a large meal – worrying over food supply slightly; just knowing they were going to reach Idyllia in less than a day soothed his fears somewhat.

As different dishes boiled and cooked, he sat at a table idly. He'd never really cooked much back on Duune, other than for himself. He wasn't sociable or _nice _enough to have guests – or friends really. And that was the way he always thought he'd liked it. But now, as he prepped the meal, he wondered every once and a while if Sora or Cloud would like it, if they would _appreciate_ his attempt at a meal.

He thought he understood Tifa's intentions on Alkatoj now. But the thought of her made his heart sink uncomfortably.

As he was finishing the meal, both Cloud and Sora emerged from the sleeping quarters looking confused. Cloud looked from the food to Roxas, and back. "Did you make that for us?" he asked, sounding both suspicious and hopeful. He couldn't remember the last time any of them ate a real meal.

"No," Roxas said, sarcasm dripping from his mouth, "I'm going to eat it all myself."

"I wouldn't be surprised," the blond Genetic grumbled. Roxas shot him a seething glare as he pulled out enough plates for the three of them. Cloud took a plate, seemingly weighing it in his hands. He watched as Sora began to help himself, a bright smile on his face. Finally, he reached over and mussed Roxas' hair – almost affectionately, despite Roxas' attempts to swat his hand away. "Thanks."

The blond Aven harrumphed, folding his arms across his chest. "What's there is there. Get some before it's gone. I'm not making any more." Cloud sent him a small, unseen smile as they both filled their plates and joined Sora at the table he'd chosen.

Conversation was light, and mostly one-sided from Sora, but occasionally Cloud or Roxas would put in their own bit. "Wow Roxas," Sora said cheerily as he took a bite of a vegetable side, "You're a good cook. Did you cook a lot back on Duune?"

Roxas grimaced slightly. "No. Not really… I've never made a meal this large before."

"Oh?" Sora tapped his fork against his bottom lip curiously. "Well, most Avens cook huuuuge meals," he said, opening his arms wide to emphasize his point. "We're highly social creatures by nature."

"I'm not _most Avens_," Roxas retorted, slightly annoyed. "People annoy me." He stabbed at his plate viciously, hoping that Sora would take the hint and shut up. He didn't like talking about how un-Aven he was. It was a rather popular topic back at QuantaRobotics.

Cloud paused, a piece of stringy meat halfway to his mouth. "You're an _Aven_? I mean, I knew Sora was, but…"

Sora giggled, obviously finding the situation amusing. "Of course he is. Avens can sense one another. It's useful, since there are so few of us out there." He frowned suddenly. "But there's not many distinguished Avens out there, like Roxas, so, I guess I can understand how hard it could be. Most Avens also don't have the title of Dr."

They continued to eat in silence, tableware clinking together occasionally as the three bent over the finish of their meals.

"_Arriving Idyllia in eight hours."_

Sora jumped at Xion's disembodied, booming voice. "W-What was that voice?"

"Xion;" Cloud said, looking at the ceiling strangely, "announcing travel time. Why are we going to Idyllia?"

Both Avens paused before Sora simply gave a dramatic sigh. "It's close and you need to get looked at," he chided, brandishing a finger at the blond Genetic. Cloud opened his mouth to protest, but the brunet cut him off. "I know, I know, 'But I'm _fine_, Sora!' That's what you say now. But that amino-salve is only a _numbing _agent. I can guarantee in about an hour you won't be able to sit anymore." He tapped at his nearly empty plate. "In fact, when you're done we need to change your bandages, and apply another dose of the salve."

Cloud looked at a complete loss, his crystalline blue eyes searching the faces of the Aven's. "Don't look at me," Roxas said with a snort as he got up from the table. "I'm the last person that'll save you."

He almost smiled as he moved into the next section to wash his dishes, scratching off bits of food into a small disposal system. Weariness nagged at the edges of his consciousness, as large meals tended to make him drowsy.

In the sitting section of the hull, he could hear Sora and Cloud talking quietly, their words barely recognizable over the humming of the ship around them. But he caught a few words like: 'Idyllia', 'gunner', and 'Xig'. He set his dishes in a sink-full of tinny water to soak clean before trudging back to the sleeping quarters. There was a small, foreign tug at his heart when he faintly heard Sora laugh obnoxiously, but he ignored it as he crawled into his bed, sighing in faux contentment.

-o-

_The sky was black as he stared upwards, a thin - sickle shaped moon looming behind a cloud as rain began to pour; fat red drops falling from damned heavens. He felt lost and hopeless, as if he were in an unending cycle of pain and loss. "Please… make it stop," a tenor voice said to his right._

_Quickly he glanced over, seeing the shapeless form of a man, a hand outstretched. "Help me…"_

_Uncertain, he tentatively reached out towards the man, only to see him vanish suddenly – the bloody rain disappearing. All around him a village was burning; people screaming, carrying babies and bundles as they ran. Snow fell upon him as he stood in the center of the chaos, eyes wide and body unfeeling. Suddenly he was pulled harshly by his arm. Looking up he saw a young woman with long, wispy black hair running, keeping him in tow._

_She looked back at him with frantic blue eyes, her mouth opening in speech before she abruptly fell lifelessly to the ground. Panicked, he dropped next to her, crawling over to her unmoving body. Red seeped slowly from the woman's body to the surrounding snow. He placed a hand on her shoulder._

"_N-noo!"_

-o-

The first thing that registered in his overwrought mind was that he was being shaken awake. He sat up quickly, his entire body trembling, and he pulled his knees to his chest – wrapping his arms around them for comfort. "W-what… happened?" he asked no one in particular.

Quickly he realized that Sora was next to him, kneeling beside the bed, attentive hands rubbing the blond's back and shoulders. "Roxas? Are you okay?" Sora looked up at him with large, concerned blue eyes. His face was damp with tears, and he rubbed at his cheeks with the back of his hands.

"I… I'm fine." He stared at his hands before wiping again at his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "…Bad dream, I guess. Can't remember…"

Sora sighed, sounding slightly relieved, but not quite. There was a knock of metals glancing against each other. He looked up to see Cloud in the corner of the room, his swords decorating his armor. "We hit the atmosphere of Idyllia," Sora said, trying to usher Roxas out of bed – despite the numbness the blond felt. "So, we came to wake you up, only to find you sobbing. I didn't realize you were sleeping still."

With effort Roxas stood, shuddering and picking around the room until he found his red jacket and put it on. "It's fine," he mumbled, regaining his composure at a steady pace. "When do we –"

"_Arrived; Idyllia_."

At the sound of the announcement, they mechanically began to shuffle out to the sitting section, where the loading ramp was located. Xion stood waiting for them, her normally blank face looking more downturned than usual.

She led the three of them out of the ship and into the docks of a prairie-planet. A light wind blew and Roxas saw meadows of long, golden grasses bend and twirl gaily in its will. Tumbleweeds bounced between buildings as they walked, the stench of dust and grass filled Roxas' nose, but even so he sighed contentedly. It was much better than Gütral's oppressing humidity, and it felt wholesome and sunny.

Roxas strayed behind the others, his mind racing over lists. They were going to need groceries, more bedding, clean clothes – soaps to wash old ones. He grumbled under his breath. Why did he feel like everyone's mother?

As they left the docks, they came across a large clearing, a tall clock tower looming above them, before the town began. Two men stood squared towards each other, the small hand of the projection screen on the clock moved precariously close to the noon minute. One man wore a long, beaten trench coat that splayed behind him in the wind, simple gray pants and dress shoes could be seen underneath. He had a hand in the breast pocket of his coat; his hair was pulled back tightly, speckled with gray streaks of age.

The other man stood rigidly straight, as the other man stood relaxed and loose. He wore a suit of black; his white undershirt absent of a tie and unbuttoned at the top. His hair was a wild red that fell slightly past his shoulders in disorganized rivulets – like the mane of Earth-Lions seen only in Stellar Zoos that orbited more populated and rich planets. He had a hand at his belt, roaming over a narrow barreled plasma pistol. A smirk spread over his face as the group slowly approached.

All but Xion halted when they noticed the set-up, suddenly becoming defensive. Sora's blue eyes watched the clock face intently before shouting in stark realization, "Xion!"

The raven haired girl stopped walking on a dime, her shoulders square, waiting as she normally did, directly between the two men as the clock let out a wailing gong as it struck twelve.

In a flash, the suited man grabbed his gun and took a shot, faster than Roxas could see properly.

Instantly Xion's head cocked, her ear nearly touching her shoulder, as a loud metallic noise echoed through the dusty clearing. The suited man frowned; his gun still pointed dead straight and hissing lightly from the discharge. Slowly Xion's head moved back into an upright position, forcibly and disjointed – as if in anger.

"I can't tell if you're smart," the redhead began, in a slow, furious tenor, "or stupid." He pushed his gun back into its holster forcibly. "Walking in the middle of an obvious gentleman's duel – it's almost a shame that you were wearing a shield."

The man in the trench coat stood fast, his hand still resting within his coat – his only visible eye, as the other was covered by an eye patch, starting hard at the redhead before him. The suited man shrugged, suddenly grinning. "Oh well! I guess that means we'll have to settle this later Xigbar. Preferably in the streets you were so adamant to not shoot in." He gave a small, jester-like bow before turning and walking away; his steps even and graceful. "I'll see you when you least expect me," he tossed over his shoulder before disappearing into the town.

Something in Roxas' stomach disagreed with him, and he was torn between vomiting and running after the man. "God _dammit_!" the man suddenly yelled, pulling out a rather mean looking gun from his trench and throwing it on the ground in rage. "He knows!" The man pulled on his ponytail in frustration, kicking at his gun.

Sora ran up to the man, waving his hands around in attempt to calm the raging man. "Xigbar! It's me Sora! You've got to calm down!" he pleaded, shooting the man an innocent look with his watery blue eyes.

Xigbar, in his rage, turned, elbowing Sora sharply as he approached, swiftly knocking the Aven down; he pointed an accusing finger at the fallen brunet. "_You_! The Society's lapdog! You probably _sold _him the information!" His whole body was trembling, as his golden eye roamed about the party before falling back on his discarded gun. "I have to save them," he said resolutely.

"Don't!" Cloud shouted, stepping forward earnestly. "You'll lead him right to them; that's what he wants! Don't be stupid."

Ignoring all protests, Xigbar ran off, scooping up his gun from the ground as he went, his coat and long ponytail whipping behind him as he ran deep into the town.

Roxas watched from further behind, taking in the scene with wide blue eyes and a roiling fear in his stomach. Xion stood stock still from the moment she was shot, her fists clenched at her sides. Sora sat on the ground, dumbfounded, allowing a few fat tears to roll over the crests of his cheeks before wiping them away purposefully. Slowly he moved forward and helped Sora to his feet, trying to ignore the grim face that Cloud wore as he stared into the town.

Once Sora was situated, he next went to Xion, approaching her hesitantly. "Xion? Are you alright?" he asked, highly unsure of himself. As if something within the girl flicked back to life, she looked up at the blond, her face falling from a tight line to her usual blank state. But there was something about her eyes that Roxas couldn't pin down. They seemed larger and… new. Like the eyes of someone who had finished a good cry and were ready to take on the rest of the day. He was relieved to see that she had no exterior damage from the gunshot.

"Cloud?" the girl asked, taking a half step backwards and pivoting to look at the blond from an angle.

Sora jumped in realization. "We've got to find you a doctor! Or at least proper medical supplies!"

The tense atmosphere that hung over the group dropped with the slump of Cloud's muscled shoulders. With grumbled protests, Cloud shuffled forward as Roxas pressed a credit bit into Xion's palm. "It's not much," he said as they began to walk into town, "But it should cover a doctor's visit – or most medical supplies." He frowned as he thought of the girl – Alane – whom he'd stolen the bit from, guilt nipping at him. "We have to restock while were here," he continued with a sigh. "Try not to get us all killed before I'm done? Okay?" He threw a glance at Cloud, who merely shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

As they walked into the rustic little town; dirt paved roads flattened with poorly placed cobblestone, bundles of grass and weeds spurting up for color among the brown and grey. Throughout the town they could hear tidbits of gossip from one villager to the next, following the grapevine deep into the houses and homes.

"I heard they were killed," one would whisper.

Another would shake their head in a disbelieving manner. "It sure looked like suicide to me. Hung up from the rafters they were!"

"… And no one's seen old man Xigbar since noon! Vanished they say. Do you think he knows?"

"Well, it _was _his daughter and gran-kids!"

Roxas scowled as he made his way through crowds of people, mutually leaving the other three of the group behind to tend to the injured blond. He followed the trail of people into a crowd until it was at its thickest, swarming around the doors of an innocent looking, two story, and antique house; a storybook pink color. There were murmurs all about him, harshly whispered ideas as to what could have become of the poor family within.

He stalked about through the crowd, prowling until he found a suitable enough target before effectively striking, his hand smoothly scouring the lining of a pocket or purse until he came up with three bits in total. Before slinking away from the scene, he edged his way to the front of the crowd, taking a curious peek into the open door of the home. A foul, unclean smell assaulted his nose, and he pulled his shirt over the lower half of his face. Inside he could see three bodies hanging from the ceiling dully, swaying two and fro in the slight wind – all the windows in the home open and shutters swinging. Two of them were small – obviously children no older than ten; it sickened him. But from the corner of his eye he noticed that all three bodies had something that appeared to be red napkins stuffed into their mouths, a black '_X' _stitched into the fabric.

Not wanting to see any more than he had, he jogged out of the crowd, spotting a bench to sit upon that was out of the way and not too shady, before pulling out his Commune and routinely switching out information on the stolen bits and freezing bank accounts. For a moment he simply sat, enjoying the feeling of only a single sun beaming down onto his golden mop of hair, warming him pleasantly, his Commune lying idle in his limp fingers.

He thought about what had happened throughout the day, events blurring in his mind in hazy contentment. When was the last time he was able to simply enjoy himself? Something about that red haired man stirred an unknown emotion in him. He wasn't sure if it was fear or joy that welled uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach whenever he so much as thought about the man.

But something wasn't adding up. First there was the incident with Xigbar and the red haired man, then Xigbar's family is found dead, and on top of that, Xigbar goes missing? Of course the first culprit on his mind was the man with red hair, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that there was no way for him to leave the dueling spot and hang an entire family of three before Xigbar reached the house himself.

With a depressed sigh he stood, scanning nearby buildings for anything that could be a store of any kind. He was starting to hate shopping.

-o-

The sun was beginning its decent into the sky, Roxas was pulling a rented hover-wagon loaded with a month's worth of supplies – or so he hoped. He glanced around the streets anxiously, keeping a sharp lookout for any of his three companions, as he hadn't seen them for the most of the day. Already he feared the worst, although if that were the case, he was sure to have heard something of it by now.

Slowly he toted the cart towards the docks, his stomach starting to bubble unpleasantly with every step he took. Finally he pulled to the side, stepping into a short alley that provided him enough shade to properly see the screen of his Commune. With a frustrated grumble he moved further into the alley, attempting to rid his screen of sun-glare. He needed a new Commune model – this was annoying.

As he fiddled with his tracking system – relieved to see that Xion was at the docks, he suddenly felt something cold and hard brush up against the nape of his neck, pressing against his tanned skin and up into his hairline. In shock he dropped his Commune, inwardly cursing himself for being so clumsy and stupid. Of course he was at gunpoint. He was in a fucking dark alley, like a baited fish waiting to be pulled from water.

"Well, look at what I have here," a sinister voice whispered next to his ear, hot breath travelling across the side of his face, sending a sickening chill down his back. "If I'm not mistaken, you're Dr. Roxas _Yevon_; a very wanted Aven – multiple bounties on your head. Hmmm… lucky me."

Roxas' knees trembled; his breath caught in his throat and his palms became sweaty. He had the extreme urge to vomit. "Who… who are you?" he asked softly, struggling to keep his voice even, despite his roaring fear.

The man chuckled, and it sounded oddly familiar to the small scientist. "Isn't that cute? Normally people are just _begging _for their lives about now." The barrel of the gun was pushed harder into his neck. "But as much as I love a change in scenery, I have a problem. There's at least three bounties on your head – which one should I take?"

The blond couldn't help but snarl at the question. He _knew _he should have checked the bounty list after that escapade on Gütral. Refusing the man an answer, he hoped to gain some upper hand in the situation. But to his dismay the man only laughed, moving dangerously close to the blond. "I've an idea," he nearly purred, his voice low and suave, "How about I cut you into pieces… and collect all three?"

Roxas' blood froze as the man licked the shell of his ear, laughing airily as the blond clenched his eyes closed. He would not falter, he could not falter… "Roxas!"

The man jerked away at the scream of the Aven's name, and Roxas took a chance to crane his neck and look, despite the gun that pressed at his spine. He wasn't sure what he saw first. Sora stood in the light at the mouth of the alley, very much flushed and panicked; Cloud was already halfway to them, a fierce sword in each hand, swirling dangerously with electrical energy as he sprinted towards them at a breakneck speed.

Unexpectedly the man, who, Roxas was startled to realize, was the same red haired man from earlier, dropped his gun and jumped back, just in time for Cloud to strike where his hand had once been. Roxas could feel the sheer energy coming from the blond and his swords as the lethal stroke passed mere inches from his body.

"Go!" the blond Genetic shouted at Roxas as he took swipe after swipe at the redhead. The suited man never seemed to be where Cloud struck, moving out of the way with almost ballerina-like grace and quick, quirky movements of his arms and legs, timed in near perfection.

Not needing any further encouragement, Roxas took off at a sprint, ducking down momentarily to pick up the red haired man's discarded gun. He didn't want to take any chances. He tucked the gun into his belt, hoping that it wouldn't discharge as he ran, even though he knew it was highly unlikely. Frantically he grabbed Sora's forearm, the brunet Aven was shaken, watching the battle in the alley with wide, fearful eyes; and with his other hand he grabbed the wagon, tugging it behind himself as he ran as fast as he was able towards the docks.

"W-What's going… on?" Sora huffed out as they ran through the streets, heavy wagon-load in tow.

Roxas shook his head, glancing past the wagon to see Cloud and the suited man taking the fight onto the streets. "Shit…" He opened his mouth to tell Sora his best guess: that the redhead was a bounty hunter, but it dawned on him that he'd left his Commune lying in the middle of the alley. "Shit! Sora, take this and get it on the ship A.S.A.P! Tell Xion to find me as soon as she can!"

With that he took off back up the street, leaving a bewildered Sora behind. Not one to second guess what he was told, the brunet grabbed the wagon and ran. As he approached the docks he saw a man standing alone in the clearing where the duel had taken place just hours earlier, looking angrily up at the clock tower. His hair was long and shaggy, rustling in the slight wind. His scarred face turned sour as he watched the brunet pass with dark, stormy eyes.

Roxas panted as he ran back to the alley, a painful stitch developing in his side. He definitely wasn't in enough shape to keep this up. As he reached the alley, he noticed that the ground and walls of the nearby homes and streets had been carved and slashed by Cloud's enormous energy discharge and lethal swords. The blond grimaced at the sight, feeling slightly guilty and upset for the people of the town. He didn't want to cause any form of commotion… and yet…

With a sigh he trotted further into the alley, glad to see his Commune was safe and undamaged with the exception of a few minor scratches. He tucked it lovingly into his pocket before sneaking back to the mouth of the alleyway, his ears perking as he heard the sound of metal scraping against stone. "Dammit Cloud," he whispered, inching along a wall until he could safely peek around its corner.

Not too far down the road, he saw Cloud and the redhead still in the midst of battle. Cloud looked to be slowing down, but purposefully instead of tiring, while the redhead had managed to find a simple bar of metal to use in his favor – although it was no match for the blond's fearsome swords.

Just as he was about to make his escape, he ran full into a tall, brunet man with a scar running diagonally across his smooth face. "O-oh, I'm sorry," he mumbled, taking a few nervous steps back, prepping to sprint back down to the docks, even if it killed him.

The man stuck a frighteningly strong arm in front of the small blond, preventing him from running anywhere. His face drew into a frown, stormy eyes regarding the scene before him gravely. "What's going on here?" he asked in a gravelly voice.

Roxas glanced back at the ensuing battle before looking back up at the brunet. "I don't know?"

The man's eyes narrowed dangerously and the arm that held the blond back gripped the front of his shirt harshly. "Don't lie to me." Without warning he pushed the Aven away and Roxas stumbled back with a curse. The brunet reached over his shoulder with a muscled arm, unsheathing a massive broadsword with a thick handle; Roxas couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before. The slick metal of the sword glinted solemnly against the orange light of the dying sun.

"Axel Montblanc!" the brunet man shouted, pointing his sword meaningfully towards the two fighting men.

Instantly the red haired man's head snapped towards them, sharp green eyes focusing on the small, confused blond. "God damn, Leon," the man called out, his voice strained from effort and taking on a whine all at once, "Can't you ever leave me _alone_?"

The brunet man scowled deeply. "No. Not until your last, dying breath. I will hunt you until the bounty is mine."

The redhead's even face took a sharp downturn in concentration. "Always _so _serious," he chided, dodging another blow from the angry blond. "Keep this up and you'll lose your mind, Blondie."

Quickly he flung the metal bar at Cloud, who blocked it in surprise – his power levels dropping considerably in realization. Using the distraction, the redhead ducked and ran with surprising grace and speed. Side-steeping a massive sweep from the brunet's wicked sword. He ran to Roxas, pushing him further down the road till the blond fell, scraping his chin painfully against the cobbled road. He blinked back tears.

Axel leered down at him, smashing a foot into the blond's back as he reached down and plucked the gun from his belt. With an air or expertise he cocked the gun, aiming it steadily at the two approaching men. "Don't move," he said coolly, "or you'll be dead before you know it."

Cloud and the brunet stopped, assessing the situation carefully. With absolutely no regard to Roxas' safety, the brunet attacked, barely dodging a few well aimed plasma bullets, before holding out his sword, a massive spike in energy suddenly discharging from a small, barrel-like instrument in the hilt of his sword. The fast moving ball of sheer energy speed towards the redhead, there was a surprised look on his face before he jumped out of the way. Axel rolled over his shoulder and back onto his feet. He gave an exasperated huff, belying his weariness. "What the hell Leon. I thought we weren't allowed to have surprises!"

Leon made no response as he rushed the redhead once again. Cloud watched on in slight awe, before shaking his head dismissively. He trotted over to Roxas, helping the small blond up with a worried frown. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, sweat dripping down the sides of his masculine face.

Roxas sent him a startled look. "O-oh… I think I'll be fine," the small blond said, despite the angry burning that enveloped the lower half of his chin. He looked around him, remaining weary of the two men fighting. "Let's get the fuck out of here." Cloud nodded, standing back up his full height.

"_Fuck_!" Both blond's whipped around to see the brunet man smirking. Axel landed heavily from a jump, a pair of ionic-bond handcuffs dangling from his right wrist, the other half of the cuffs open and waiting, like a set of hungry jaws, patient and cunning. Before the redhead could gain his bearings, the brunet charged, and in a desperate attempt to keep distance, Axel thrust out a long leg, high into the air, catching Leon in the nose. "Ha," the redhead gasped as the brunet stumbled slightly.

Before anyone knew it, another energy sphere shot from Leon's sword, close-range and aimed perfectly at Axel's chest. The redhead was engulfed in a blinding flash of light. Roxas shielded his eyes with a forearm; something notched anxiously in his throat when he saw the limp body of the redhead get tossed back a few feet by the blast, landing close to where he stood.

Axel groaned; his arms twitching as he attempted to pick himself up. "Ugh… God – what the fuck…" He gave a shallow cough before managing to pull himself upright. "…burned right though my shield…" Roxas heard him mutter.

Cloud tugged on the Aven's arm, cocking his head to one side, indicating that they should go while they had a chance. This fight was almost over. He gave a small nod, despite the sick feeling in his stomach. Before they ran off, he attempted to chance one more glance over his shoulder only to be tackled to the ground, rolled over and picked up. Something cold clamped around his left wrist and immediately he feared the worst as the frigid barrel of a gun pressed deeply into the soft skin beneath his chin.

"Don't move or I'll blow this kid's brains into the sky," Axel wheezed harshly from behind the blond, holding him tightly to his chest, while his other hand forced the gun upwards into the blond's chin. "And now I've got my bounty," he almost purred quietly to Roxas, pulling his cuffed hand up. Roxas belatedly noticed that with the movement of the redhead's hand, his left moved with it. He let out a strained curse, gulping agonizingly around the gun barrel.

Leon snorted; his eyes were wild and dangerous. "You think you can hide behind that kid?" he asked, his deep voice taking on a threatening hue. "I'll cut through you both."

Roxas watched as if in slow motion; the brunet moved into a battle stance, his sword settling menacingly behind him, low and ready. Each quick step the brunet took made a frightened echo in the blond scientist's ears. "Oh Goddess," he breathed as Axel's grip tightened on him. He didn't want to die! He closed his eyes just as Leon's sword was being brought down above him.

A searing pain burst into his forehead, and he felt warm fluid trickle down his face. His eyes fluttered open, only to squint harshly as bright electrical currents buzzed hazardously close to his face. Cloud stood before him, rigid and snarling as he slowly managed to push Leon's sword away from the Aven, the tip of the brunet's sword withdrawing from its embedded state in Roxas' forehead, a small gasp wrenching its way up his throat.

Oxygenated blood dripped down the front of his face, burning red. "Die!" Cloud shouted suddenly, sounding nothing like himself; his power increasing so dynamically that the dust around their feet blew from the cracks of the pavement and wafted about.

Roxas watched in horror as Cloud viciously attacked the startled brunet, landing a few hits, which merely sliced and bled non-vital points of the brunet. "R-Roxas!"

The blond looked up tiredly, spotting Sora hanging onto a sprinting Xion for dear life. He tumbled off her back with a yelp, rolling a bit in the dust before standing on shaking legs. Roxas let out a short, meaningless laugh. "About time," he croaked. Before he could say anything further, he could feel Xion prying Axel away from him, the gun slipping out from under his chin, her frozen hands ripping at his back.

He fell to the ground with a pronounced thud – decidedly too tired and shaken to stand up. Sora was next to him, clutching his arm with his huge blue eyes squeezed shut, trickles of tears pricking the corners. "Oh Goddess no, please… Roxas make it stop!"

Roxas blinked, his left hand was being tugged uncomfortably. He looked over to see Axel's face wrought into a silent scream as Xion wrapped herself around his abdomen, effectively crushing the man with her arms and legs. Sora sobbed quietly next to him, whispering words of prayer and pleas.

"_A-And that girl… the killing; Goddess, what's happening, Roxas?"_

A painful emotion ripped at Roxas' heart when he saw the brunet struggling against tears and fear. He would have thought that after being in The Society for almost a decade, the brunet would be used to violence and death – but he supposed it wasn't something that could really be gotten over. There was a loud, sickening crack from the redhead – as if something within him had snapped. "Xion stop!" he bellowed suddenly, gasping for oxygen. "Don't kill him!"

Immediately the raven haired girl stopped, remaining woven about the man. She peered over her thin shoulder looking very much not like herself. "He tried kill you!" she barked back, catching the blond by surprise. "I won't forgive him." Even still, she did as Roxas asked, but refusing to let go of the redhead.

"Sora, can you run?" the small Aven asked as the redhead let out a strained wheeze; it was obvious the man was in tremendous pain.

The brunet nodded, picking himself up off the ground and helping Roxas up in the process. "We have to get out of here," he said sternly, trying to muster up as much courage as he could, "But… you're cuffed to that guy." He frowned as he took a quick look at the handcuffs, shaking his head and muttering, 'Ionic'.

"Just drag him with us, then!" With a combined effort the two Avens began pulling the redhead down the road – Xion along with him. Roxas felt lightheaded and woozy, occasionally his sight would blur and he would rub at his eyes with his available hand.

Back further into town they heard an infuriated yell followed by an explosion. They hadn't gotten far enough for Roxas' comfort, and with a sinking heart he gave a small cry of dismay when Cloud landed roughly a foot in front of them, rolling over a bit before standing on trembling legs.

The Genetic blond bent, leaning against a sword that he had stuck in the ground for leverage, huffing wearily. Large veins pulsed across his body; his muscles flexed and would spasm. Roxas could feel the sheer force of energy the blond let out – although it was slowly diminishing as time waned on. "Cloud, stop!" Sora cried out, giving up the escape for the moment. "You're going to go over your limit!"

"Shut up!" the blond roared, "I can win this!"

Sora shot Roxas a fearful look. "He's losing it!"

Leon stepped towards the group slowly, gravel and dust crunching under his boots. "Win?" he chided, his massive sword fixed easily upon his shoulders. "You'll never beat me – you're a pathetic excuse for a Genetic." His dark eyes scanned ahead, spotting the two Avens. "And now my bounty is being stolen." His eyes narrowed.

"Cloud," Roxas shouted, his blood turning to ice when the brunet man's gaze fell upon him. "There's always another day to fight! Fucking get us out of here!"

The blond's head snapped up and he jumped, barely dodging a sudden swing of Leon's sword. He ran to the group, his two swords breaking down in to several smaller ones that he mechanically put back into their proper sheaths, never missing a beat. He scooped up Sora in an arm and Roxas in another, taking off down the road as quickly as he could. With a frown he noticed a limp in the Genetic's leg, but before he could think on it further, he thought his left arm was going tear off as it was nearly jerked out of socket by the weight of the redhead and Xion being dragged behind them.

He gripped the tubing between the cuffs with his free hand, hoping to create some slack for his arm, but it did little to ease the pain. He looked up, his vision tottering to and fro with Cloud's steps, only to see Leon in pursuit and gaining on them; the sheer amount of energy permeating from the brunet was enough to make Roxas' hairs stand on end.

Cloud was slowing considerably, his energy reservoirs waning. He honestly didn't know how much longer he could keep going. The extra dead-weight wasn't helping. "Xion," he struggled to yell, "a little _help_?"

The raven haired girl cocked her head up from the redhead's chest. Axel seemed unconscious, his body limp and his clothes caked in dirt and cuts. Leon was right behind them, his smooth face distorted into a rage, when she finally unhooked her ankles from one another, picking up at a trot and tossing the redhead across her shoulder.

She caught up with Cloud – who now ran at a faster pace, putting frantic distance between himself and the brunet – passing him slightly as the handcuffs would allow. Roxas gave a small sigh of relief. "Almost there," she said, as if offering encouragement.

Roxas covered his eyes at that point, an anxious poison burning at his throat when he watched Leon gain and fall back in intervals. That and the constant swaying while he was trying to focus on one point was nauseating.

"Go, go, go!" he heard Cloud shout, then an incline. Soon enough he saw the glistening metal of the ship's ramp and he had the strange swelling in his chest that reminded him of coming home. The ramp ascended right behind Cloud's heels, the door nearly slamming in the blond Aven's face once they were safely inside and Leon was officially no longer an immediate threat.

Xion dropped Axel, disappearing into the cockpit, as Cloud set the Avens down onto the floor. There was a small clicking noise at the door, no doubt Leon trying to hack his way into the ship. "We're safe in here, right?" Sora asked, staring at the door with frightened blue eyes.

The ship around them buzzed to life, the engines exciting and taking off with a sudden lurch. The clicking stopped. "Yeah," Roxas dared to breathe out.

Cloud collapsed against the wall, his muscular body shutting down after the immense overexertion of the day. He knew he was lucky to even be alive, let alone have control of his mind. "Can't… move…" he groaned. He slid down to the floor pathetically, his muscles twitching erratically.

Sora sent him a sad, sympathetic look. "It's okay," he said with a tiny sigh. With those two words everything felt normal again; welcoming. "Let's get him to a bed. He needs sleep – and plenty to eat when he wakes up."

Roxas nodded, attempting to stand, before there was a tug at his wrist. He looked over blankly before remembering that he was still attached to the redhead, who was currently lying in a heap on the ground next to him. There was an unpronounced rise and fall in the man's chest, and he was slightly relieved that he was still breathing and alive. "What are we going to do with him?" he asked, pointing at his cuffed hand.

"Goddess," the brunet grimaced. "He needs treatment… He probably has some broken bones…" Sora pinched the bridge of his nose. "First things first." He knelt down, pulling Cloud's arm over his shoulders and hefting the man up, almost dragging him across the ship and into the sleeping quarters.

After a few minutes the brunet returned. Roxas had occupied himself with watching Axel, paranoid that the man would suddenly sit up and shoot him in the head. "Here," Sora said, handing him a fat roll of medical tape and a jar of ointment. He probed the redhead with small, thin hands, feeling bones and bruises until he was satisfied with what he'd found. "He has a couple of broken ribs, but they're minor." He pressed two fingers against the redhead's chest repeatedly until he decided that his ribs were aligned once more.

Cautiously they unbuttoned the man's dirty jacket and took it off, followed by his undershirt. The man was rather toned, silky peach skin rippled and bruised sat before Roxas' eyes and he wasn't sure if the strange feeling in his chest was jealousy. Sora began dabbing small amounts of cream onto the few cuts across Axel's body before taking the medical gauze and wrapping it snugly across his chest expertly.

"Have you done this often?" the blond found himself asking as the brunet finished and they struggled to put his clothes back on.

Sora nodded solemnly. "You learn how to take care of yourself when you're stuck in The Society. Everyone's expendable to them… I couldn't save them all…" he trailed off, sitting back on his haunches. "We should keep him from moving when he wakes up."

Roxas agreed quietly, scanning their surroundings. "We'll just have to tie him to a chair while I try and get out of these things," he said, holding up his shackled hand. The brunet Aven chuckled slightly. "Grab those makeshift bandages from earlier and a few others."

"Sure." Sora trotted off. Roxas stood and stared down at the unconscious redhead contemplatively. After a few moments he gave up trying to find a way to move the redhead into a chair without hurting him. The man was unconscious anyway, it didn't matter. He grabbed each of Axel's arms near the armpits and pulled him towards a chair with a back, struggling feebly to pull the man into the chair. He almost laughed when Axel slumped in the chair, hitting his face against the sleek metal of the table.

Sora came back, his arms stuffed with rags and strips of cloth. Silently they set about tying the man up as tightly as they dared. Once they were positive the redhead wasn't going anywhere, Roxas sat on the ground with a huff, glaring at the cuff around his wrist. "You know, those aren't hard to get out of – if you can figure out what element is bonded inside," the small brunet said. "I never could figure out how to tell which was which."

The blond frowned, pulling out his Commune with his free hand. "I'll figure it out," he mumbled in despair and set to work.

-o-

It took him nearly four hours to crack the code to the handcuffs and to wiggle out of them. It was nothing like he'd ever attempted to hack before. He rubbed his freed wrist tenderly, standing up to grab something to drink. Both Cloud and Sora had fallen into restless sleep in the dormitory and he moved back out into the seating area to log his discoveries about the handcuff's bond.

"Nnng… What… the…?" Roxas froze in his spot next to the stool he was about to sit in. "Where…?"

Axel had woken from his unconscious state and was glancing about wearily, regaining his senses faster than Roxas would have liked. "You're on our ship," he said at last, after a moment to gather his courage. He stepped into the redhead's view, bravely sitting across from him at the table. "We saved your life."

The man sent him an unreadable look before chuckling airily. Roxas scowled. "_You _save _me_? Look at you! You're face is almost cut in two!" the man coughed uncomfortably.

"That might be true," Roxas hissed, subconsciously rubbing at the tender scab that had formed on his forehead. "But you're the one with broken ribs – drug half-dead through the town."

Axel grinned. The small blond stood, shaking with anger at the man's _nerve_. "That may be true," he mimicked, "But here I am, still alive." The man fidgeted with his bonds for a moment, a strained look on his face. "Once I get out of here…"

Roxas roiled back, finally at the end of his patience. The _least _the man could do was show some humility – _something_ other than cocky asshole or vicious killer. "Shut. Up," he commanded, trembling with pent up anger and frustration.

"Or what, Blondie? You're Aven, what're you going to do? Pray at me until I die?"

Without thinking the blond wound back unleashing a long suffering punch to the redhead's face. It surprised both of them as his knuckles dug painfully into Axel's mouth.

When all was said and done, Roxas stared with empty eyes. "Goddess forgive me…"

-o-

_**A/N: **_Not as long as last chapter, but 10k is nice… right?

Thank you to **Superkawaiifreak **and **4LLi3 **for your dedication! :) Also, **cHeRRy bloSSoM72** for your input. :D

And as always thanks to **Lucia-luce **for simply being awesome and beta-ing this mofo. Cheers!


	5. Chapter 5

**Kismet**

When all was said and done, Roxas stared with empty eyes. "Goddess forgive me…" His fist ached; small drops of blood began to well up along the ridge of his knuckles.

Axel stared at him with an awed look; his bright green eyes almost a lime color in the bright lighting of the ship. His mouth was slightly agape, a purple bruise festering on the corner of his lower lip. After a few blank minutes, and silent prayers falling from the blond's mouth, the redhead spoke, "Shit… that hurt."

With those words the heavy tension broke, but doubt and fear infiltrated Roxas' overwhelmed mind. Axel frowned deeply, his eyes roaming the ship interior with a sudden serious line to his features. "Okay, I admit I'm in a little –"

"Shut up!" the blond yelled, frantic. The redhead couldn't grasp the grievous mistake he'd just made; he couldn't possibly understand the ramifications! Confused and afraid he clutched at his head desperately, covering his ears and twining his fingers into strands of hair. "Oh, Goddess, shut up…"

The redhead's brows furrowed deeply as he watched the blond struggle internally. "Are you alright?" he asked; uncertain. He'd read dossiers on the blond Aven – a supposed scientific genius, cold and calculating; worth an estimated three and a half million credits. People just didn't _stumble _into bounties like that. But as he watched the frantic blond, he wondered if genius and crazy-mother-fucker were two sides of the same coin. It wasn't as appealing to frighten and threaten someone who was already in obvious mental pain or distress. It didn't satisfy him.

Roxas shot him a hateful look before his knees gave out. His head buzzed with voices; scattering to the edges of his sub-conscience. There was an army of words thrown at him, mingling with others; becoming unintelligible – a choir of screams rained down and pulsed violently to his temples. The ground below him seemed to sway and lurch beneath him as he pressed is forehead down to the cold, metal floor. "Make it stop… oh, Goddess, make it stop…" he pleaded, desperately to the ground, his small body writhing in pain.

It was as if a hover frigate was coming to a screeching halt in his skull, the density thrusters screaming in protest as the machine suddenly crashes through a wall; loud and explosive. Voices boomed at him at once, and he couldn't hear anything around him except for their angry, mingling words.

"_Roxas… be not afraid,"_ something high and soft said from above every voice he heard. He faintly felt hands, soothing and calm against his back and shoulders. _"Young Seraph, focus." _Disorientated and confused, Roxas wondered if he was dreaming again – if perhaps he had finally passed out from exhaustion. Wearily he attempted to calm himself, trying to cast off the droning of unfamiliar voices. The lofty whisper eased his distress as a woman, tall and thin became apparent in his mind's eye. Her silvery hair seemed to float about her in wisps, as her face remained cold and hard. _"You've done nothing wrong," _the woman spoke, red lips opening. _"You've a gift – use it wisely."_

With those simple, song-like words, the woman faded in a light purple mist, taking the murmuring voices with her. "…oxas? Roxas? Are you okay?"

Shaking, the blond sat up, his mind clear but tired and strained from the sudden sensory overload. "I… what happened?" he asked stupidly – the images already fading to the recesses of his memory, becoming distorted and unclear. They weren't important, he always told himself, why would they be now?

Sora was kneeled down next to him, his hair more disheveled than normal, and his big, blue eyes were wide in fear and astonishment. "You… you… I'm not sure," he answered at last, shaking his head and clearing any negative emotion that had been on his face. The brunet smiled suddenly, wrapping an arm around Roxas' chest and attempted to help him stand.

"I'm fine," Roxas lied once he was on his own two feet. He leaned heavily on the table nearest to him, running a hand through his blond locks repetitively. "I'll be fine…" His pink lips stretched into a frown before he took a large shuddering sigh. "What happened?" he asked again, focusing on Sora. "Is all I can remember is…" he shot the detained redhead a sidelong glance, "voices."

The brunet Aven shrugged. With a thoughtful look he attempted to smooth down his hair. "I was sleeping; suddenly that guy started yelling something like: get in here he's crazy!" Roxas shot Axel a seething glare. The redhead merely grinned slyly in response. "Anyway," Sora sighed, "I came in here and found you curled up on the ground, shivering and whimpering… But… you said you heard voices? What'd they say; do you remember?"

The sudden earnestness of the brunet caught Roxas off guard. "Well," he grumbled, scratching at the back of his neck in thought. He wasn't _used _to trying to remember what the voices told him. He always tried to forget. "Something about… fear… and – and a Seraph… whatever that is."

Sora frowned, reaching up to feel the blond's forehead. "You don't know what a Seraph is?" he asked, his brows furrowing. His eyes opened wide upon further inspection of Roxas' face. "Oh Goddess, Roxas, you're still all cut up. I can't believe I… come on, let me clean you up – I think this one's getting infected. Sorry."

Roxas shrugged, following the brunet through the ship and into the bathroom. Cloud was lying lax on his bed, breathing deep, harsh breaths into his pillow. He reminded Roxas of a child who had played too hard and ate too much only to wind up crashing early in the day.

The blond hoisted himself up to sit on the smooth rim of the titanium-breed sink, the lights glaring off the similar floor and walls giving an institution feel to the room. Sora pulled out a fat bag stuffed with different supplies, and he began to dig through it until he produced a small, brown bottle, some small bandages and a handful of sterile swabs.

His feet swung below him, as Sora approached him – a swab wet with the medical solution. With nimble and gentle fingers, Sora dabbed the swab lightly along the cut of Roxas' forehead and the angry scrape along his chin. The blond nibbled the insides of his cheeks as the medicine stung the entirety of his face, burning away dirt and scabs, leaving only raw, fleshy skin exposed in its wake.

Quickly Sora smeared on a white cream before bandaging the small wounds with an accomplished sigh. Roxas couldn't tell whether his face burned or if he could even feel it at all. "There. Sorry about that… everything's been so…" the brunet's shoulders sagged as Roxas slid from the sink. "I don't know… crazy is one way to put it."

"Tell me about it," the blond grumbled. He pulled at the curls in his hair, his mind slowly kicking back into proper speed. "We have to do something about Axel," he murmured.

Sora nodded in agreement, thin fingers moving to stroke his chin in thought. "He's insane, but he can't stay tied up to that chair."

"Why not?" The brunet shot him a slightly annoyed glance before blowing out a frustrated breath. Roxas sighed. "I get it," he grumbled. "He'd stink up the entire ship if he dies."

"What?" Sora recoiled, shock and disgust evident on his thin face. He waved his arms about defensively, his face falling in perturbed anger. "Roxas how could you _say _that? We _can't _let him die! That's just… cruel!"

Roxas grimaced, nearly snarling at the frantic brunet. "I was _joking_," he growled, scratching angrily at the tresses in the back of his head. "Goddess! He tried to fucking _kill me_ back on Idyllia! Remember that? Damn!"

The brunet Aven calmed slightly, his arms stiff at his sides. The room felt hot and oppressing as the pent up tempers of the two Aven's relieved themselves. "Why the hell would he try and kill you?" Sora asked. He'd never seen the redhead act violently against Roxas – all he saw was Cloud attack him from the mouth of the alley before he rushed to the ship with their supplies. "He's Axel Montblanc – a freelance bounty hunter." He rubbed his face thickly. "He has about a quarter million credit bounty on his own head; for taking The Societies bounties from their hunters."

"I have a bounty," Roxas said slowly. He moved over to the shower, opening the plasma-glass screen with mock curiosity. He didn't want to tell anyone that he was wanted. It made him feel dirty; evil in some way. "I don't know how much – I haven't looked." He frowned, turning from the shower to face Sora. "It's why I left Duune to begin with." His tanned face fell – his dark complexion slowly lightening from the absence of the suns he was accustomed to, small freckles becoming pronounced on the curves of his cheeks.

He half expected Sora to leave; to hate him for not telling him about something like this, even though it seemed so _trivial _to him at the time. "That makes sense," Sora finally said after a deadly, pregnant pause. He looked shamefaced and upset, but his shoulders slumped as he ran his fingers along the edge of the sink. "Why didn't you say anything before?" Roxas shrugged and Sora sighed in defeat. "Everything just gets more and more complicated."

"Agreed." Deep blue eyes skimmed the slick surfaces of the bathroom, a hidden wisdom buried behind the ocean waves. "It's like… we're trying to find all the parts," he began, mumbling to himself as he looked about – somewhat blankly. "We have the schematics, and now we're hunting for the critical pieces – processors, batteries, skeleton… basics for a running robot. You know?"

Sora chuckled, the air becoming that more breathable. After a few more moments the brunet simply burst out into a peal of laughter, soon grabbing onto the ridge of the sink for support as precious giggles bubbled from his mouth. "Oh, Goddess, Roxas!" he said merrily as the blond sent him a near frightened look. "You're so crazy – I, I just… Goddess… I'm so glad that it was you who saved me."

Roxas frowned, rubbing at his neck in confusion. It wasn't normal to just laugh for no reason – and it honestly kind of scared him. When was the last time anyone really laughed? It seemed so alien. "I don't think I'm the crazy one right now."

"Ah-ha," the brunet let out one last, breathy laugh, his shoulders slumping in contentment – or however close one could get to content in their current situation. "Sorry," he said, running a hand along his face. "About Axel – what do you think we could do with him? I doubt he'll try anything stupid when Cloud wakes up."

Roxas nodded, his trademark scowl returning to his features. "Yeah – we'll have to leave him tied up until then, I suppose…"

Sora sighed. "I'm hungry… We'll have to feed him at least; you know… a peace offering?"

The blond sent him a sidelong glance. "Right."

"What!" Sora huffed, jogging quickly across the spacious bathroom to head off the blond and opened the door, the mechanical swish sounding as the door slid open.

Suddenly the brunet Aven stopped on a dime, Roxas running into his back. "Talking about me, hmm?" Two sets of deep blue eyes widened in both surprise and fear. Axel stood, leaning an arm against one of the beds above the sleeping Cloud, causal and cocky. Roxas shrunk behind his fellow Aven, not nearly as brave as when the redhead was bound tightly to a chair. "I wonder – what _were _you planning to do with me? I have no weapon to defend myself… but your bodyguard seems to have run out of juice," he pointed a long, graceful finger at the unmoving Genetic.

Much to the blond's shock, Sora stepped forward, his countenance calm and collected – full of confidence. Even Axel's normal cockiness faltered at the sight of the brunet. "What are you suggesting? You think we're drawn even? You don't know the half of it." There was a dangerous flash of the brunet's eyes and immediately Roxas knew he was talking about Xion, who was merely on the other side of the ship.

Axel's hand darted up to his face, moving to scratch the crown of his head in sudden nervousness. "Is it just me, or has every Aven suddenly changed behavioral patterns and religion in the past two years?"

"There are only two of us," Sora nearly whined, almost dropping his entire composure.

The redhead quirked a finely shaped brow, "Isn't that like, half of your race?" he blew out a frustrated breath, eyes wandering around the cabin of the room in near desperation. "Okay, look," with an obvious grimace he lifted his hands up, level and placating, "I'm in way over my head here," he gave a short chuckle, "And apparently I can't talk my way out of this one… So, uh – before your hunk of muscle and steel wakes up, truce?"

"Don't listen to him!" Roxas hissed over Sora's shoulder. He sent the redhead a scalding glare – and if looks could truly kill, Axel down to his grandchildren would have died several times over. "He's a _murderer_," he tried to reason. He felt guilty for pressuring Sora and slightly confused as to why it was the brunet's choice to begin with, but the _last _thing he wanted was for Axel to go unpunished for nearly killing him at _least _three times in the past forty-eight hours.

Axel's eyes suddenly grew sharp, staring hard at the blond. "Am I? Then what does that make _you_, Dr. Yevon?" The words were low and dangerous; a barely concealed threat wafting in the air between the three of them. "Which brings me to my next question," he pointed to Sora, "Who are you?"

Blue eyes closed briefly before a light frown found its way to the brunet's face. "Sora Yevon – Hikari."

"What? No way – _the _Hikari; The Society's information center? Well…" the redhead scratched his chin in thought, "He's a bit scrawny, I imagined someone more… I dunno – scary, I guess;" he mumbled to himself – Roxas bristled at the size comment, but kept quiet, "but I think things are starting to look up for me." Axel grinned, his stance returning to overconfident as he leaned more heavily on the bed. "I've got an idea… well more of a deal," he corrected at the sight of the two upset Avens. He knew there was nothing they themselves could do – with the exception of the rogue blond – but they did have a massive upper hand in the situation. "It's obvious you guys have motives – I got no idea what, but how does this sound: I'll be… you're hired muscle – so to speak," he cast a slightly weary glance at Cloud, "In other words I'll work for you if you'll help me out. You know, scratch my back and I'll scratch yours?"

Sora frowned as the redhead leered, "At what cost?" the blond asked harshly. He knew that they needed more hands, but he wasn't sure if he wanted a hired killer – one that had been out for _him _no less – "protecting" them.

"Information," Axel said simply, the answer already at the tip of his tongue. "And, uh, protection – you know, from Muscles over there." He waved in the vague direction of the sleeping blond.

Roxas grimaced. "I don't know," Sora began slowly, "You'd have to ask Xion – she's the one in charge here." Roxas shot the brunet a bewildered look as Axel looked uncomfortable, he was losing more and more control of the conversation as it went on. "She's in the cockpit if you're serious about it." Sora rubbed at the back of his neck nervously, "Uh, and make sure to apologize, okay?"

Carefully and with guarded emotions, the redhead nodded, slowly moving out of the room with graceful steps. "Oh, and try not to die – or do, that works too – better, actually," Roxas chided as the redhead was nearly out of the room. The doors in the archway sucked closed before the redhead could say anything further. Both Roxas and Sora scrambled over to Cloud's bed, half hiding, and half snuggling into the blankets around the Genetic's feet. If something went wrong, they wanted to be able to protect themselves as well as they could.

Axel made his way through the ship prudently, taking in his surroundings with hawk-like eyes. He'd never seen a ship like this before, very plain and industrial but highly functional as well. The closest similar ship he'd seen was a Galactic Fed. Cargo ship – but the only similarities they had was the lack of décor. In this case, the ship itself seemed to be art. He traced the pads of his fingers along the convex walls of the ship as he passed. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't quite figure it out. He never saw a woman on the ship – or even out in the battle. The last thing he remembered was being torn away from Roxas and nearly crushed to death before he passed out.

He sighed wistfully, "There's something wrong with the Galaxy these days," he muttered as he approached the entrance to the cockpit.

The seamless doors split open, creating a small void into the ill-lit cockpit. Axel frowned at the sight, becoming rigid with doubt and suspicion. No one to his knowledge piloted in the dark; something was off. He took a cautious step back. In a blink cords shot out from the darkest parts of the room with a hiss, coiling around his legs and torso until he fell hard onto the metal floor and was dragged deep into the room.

"Unidentified heat source found." Axel gasped in both pain and fear, the broken ribs in his chest screamed as the coiled wires tightened and flexed around his body, and two blue orbs gleamed down at him from above; narrow. "Where is Roxas? You try and kill him! Where is he?"

Axel blacked out momentarily as the cords that bound him almost squeezed the air from his lungs. "R-Roxas? H-He's… with – C…Cloud…" The redhead coughed deeply, his lungs rattling in his broken chest painfully as the grip around him loosened. "Look, I'm sorry – or whatever, just stop trying to kill me!"

He looked up angrily only to see a girl's face in his. Her features were smooth and shadowed in the dark, but as he glanced into the glowing depths of her blue eyes he saw something that made him shrink back – something akin to an ancient rage, something powerful and uncontrollable, before everything about the girl went blank. "Roxas won't let me kill you."

Slowly the redhead was pulled to his feet, cords moving to wrap around his arms and hips to keep him from moving effectively. "Why come here?"

Frightened, but unwilling to show it, Axel grimaced, the snapping of cords and wires could be heard around him, the girl was shrouded in darkness, but he could see that she was hung from the ceiling by the massive cords of the same make as the ones that he saw swarming the room – it was an eerie sight, and he wished he couldn't see it, for his own sake. "I…" he stumbled over his words a moment before deciding he found the perfect excuse, "I'm offering to join your crew?" he started questionably, "To help protect Roxas… and Sora… and—"

"Stop the usurper?"

Axel's eyes narrowed, partially in confusion. "Yeah, that too…"

Xion's head rolled abnormally, black tresses of hair falling into her glowing eyes. "Condition: Roxas dies – you die."

"Uh, what?" Suddenly Xion's face was pushed close into Axel's. His entire face felt cold and clammy from her proximity. A miniscule snarl was on her lips and the closer she came to him, the more a feral panic broke out in his stomach. "Okay!" he shouted once the overbearing girl became too close and he lost his entire sense of calm. "Okay, okay! Just, fuck, get away from me."

Before he knew it, the small girl was on the other side of the cockpit, her head inched slightly to the side – but despite the cute pose, she remained threatening. "Name?"

"Excuse me?" The redhead growled, beginning to pick at the cords around him with blunt nails. "Jesus, fuck – Axel is my name, if that's what you mean. Will you just… _let me go_?"

Xion shrugged, a light and feathery movement, "I am Xion. My… name." Unable to digest what the raven haired girl meant, the wires and cords quickly dropped lifelessly from him. "Ask Roxas where we go now." And with those simple last words Axel bolted from the room, sighing in relief as the doors closed behind his trembling form.

He took a few moments to regain his composure, hitching his shoulders back and smoothing out his face until it was unreadable, before he proceeded back into the dormitory. The two Aven's were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the end of the Genetic's bed, huge, blue eyes boring into him as he walked into the room. He couldn't tell if they were frightened or smug. Angrily he jabbed a long, ivory hued finger at Roxas. "You are turning out to be the worst thing to ever happen to me," he said low and venomously.

Roxas' eyes narrowed. "Same thing could be said about you." The two locked into a glare, the atmosphere in the room becoming terse.

"What'd Xion say?" Sora asked; his voice soft and slightly squeaky.

Axel's gaze shot to the brunet, his glare dissolving almost immediately. "Oh… I can stick around – with a few… conditions…" He groaned. "Goddamn, what'd I get myself into?" The redhead cursed lightly, his hands gripping alternately into fists, until his normally rigid posture slumped into defeat. Acid green eyes bore into Roxas – as if the redhead were planning something; serious and mischievous at once. "The girl… thing… Xion? Yeah, she wanted to know where you're heading next."

Sora and Roxas sent each other weary looks – something that Axel picked up on right away; he kept his questions to himself however, knowing that it would only make things worse. He wanted to _live _through this. "I… don't know," Sora said after a fruitless silence. "Idyllia was my idea – and look where that got us." Roxas simply shrugged. He didn't know much about anything beyond Duune and its neighboring planets within the cluster. "We need news," the brunet said at last, ruffling his chocolate colored tresses with a nervous hand. "Ugh, I wish we were connected to some kind of server! Playing things by ear is always harder…"

The redhead watched the two Avens brainstorm for a few minutes, a small, sly smile carving its way across his handsome face. "I've got an idea – if you'll listen to it," he said after a while, the Avens drawing a blank.

"No," Roxas started, offhandedly, irritated and dizzy from the day's events.

Axel took on a mock look of dramatic shock and sadness. Sora sighed, pushing on Roxas' shoulder lightly. "Just listen to him; he might say something we wouldn't ever think of!"

"You should listen to your friend, blondie." Roxas snarled, but kept his comments to himself as Sora urged Axel to speak. "Well, I was thinking you should hit Omnera – and before you say anything, I know what I'm talking about." He grinned a bit, wagging a finger in Roxas' face childishly. "It's a shady gambling world, but shady places with booze and women are the _best _places to get information – isn't it?"

"You're disgusting," the blond sniped. Axel sent him a rude hand gesture when Sora was looking the other way.

Sora sighed, wringing his hands almost in a guilty demeanor. "He's right though," he muttered, "Although I don't like the idea of bringing Xion anywhere with so many scanners…"

"Why, what's wrong with scanners?" the redhead asked, a dubious look dawning on his face. Something wasn't right on this ship, and he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like the answer once he found out what it was.

The Avens exchanged similar glances before evading the question entirely. It was too soon and too uncertain to tell the redhead anything of real importance. "I don't really see an easier way, unless we can get the ship established to a communications network…"

Roxas tugged on a few of his curls, grimacing slightly at how long they were getting. He was going to need a haircut soon. "I can do that," he grumbled, "But it'd take some time to get the parts – establishing a connection is easy enough." He pulled out his Commune and sighed. Even with his skill there was only so much he could do on it, due to memory reserves and lack of bit power. "It'd be nice to have a full system anyway." For a moment he drifted away from the conversation, a small anxious smirk dawning his lips before falling away hopelessly. Since when did anything on this ship go right?

Axel gave the two of them an annoyed look. "So, are we going to Omnera or not? Does it really take that long to decide? Damn…" He scratched at the back of his head in agitation before licking his lips deviously. "You're worse than women."

"Goddess will you shut up?" Roxas barked, his temper thin and broken, "Go fucking tie him up again, damn!"

Sora sighed in almost an overdramatic way. "Will _both _of you calm down?" he huffed, folding his arms across his thin chest. "Goddess…" He tapped at his chin lightly before a tiny smile broke out on his cherub face. "Roxas, I think it's about time we all ate; Cloud should be up soon, too – he'll be _starving._"

"I…" Roxas sent the brunet a hopeless look before agreeing solemnly. "Okay, fine." Slowly he shimmied his way off the bed and into the adjoining kitchen with a sulk.

The brunet Aven followed after him, pausing before the doorway. "Axel, I'm going to tell Xion to head to Omnera. If you need to, get some sleep – Roxas is… I would just leave him alone for now," he frowned heavily, "If you're going to sleep, I'd recommend the highest bed above Cloud – so he doesn't see you when he wakes up." And with those less than comforting words, the brunet disappeared through the doorway.

Axel scowled at the remaining crew member, wishing the Genetic dead as he climbed easily to the highest bunk and settled onto the dusty mattress without much care. Things had taken a turn for the interesting for him, and he was bound to see it through whether he liked it or not. The little pieces of his life quest were falling delicately into place, but in return he felt as if he were being sucked into something much greater than anything he'd ever experienced in his short twenty-five years.

He stared at the ceiling for a few long minutes, slowly trying to piece together some form of comprehension over his current situation, but having it all draw up to nothing. He could say, with authority, that he didn't like this – not at all.

The doors opened suddenly, and Sora came in with his arms loaded with fat cloth. The brunet, with effort, threw a thick blanket and a pillow up on Axel's bed, stepping up on Cloud's bed to peek up at the redhead. "I had to fight Roxas for these. Dinner will be done in a couple of hours, so get some sleep – you look like you need it."

"Yeah," Axel mumbled appreciatively, unintentionally snuggling into the warm fabric. Almost being killed did take its toll on a person. He watched with hawk-like eyes as the small Aven sent him a tiny smile before hopping down and exiting the room. Sora was nice, he admitted to himself slowly as he rolled over towards the blank wall. Perhaps too nice…

-o-

"Roxas, he's really not that bad," Sora complained once the meal had been started and was set to cook thoroughly. "If you're tired, just go to sleep."

The blond sent a weary, distrustful glance back at the dormitory door. "No, I'd rather not die thanks."

Sora's blue eyes rolled in exasperation. "Fine, I'll grab your stuff and you can sleep out here!" Before Roxas could say anything, the brunet stormed off into the sleeping quarters, returning quickly with pillow and blanket bundled haphazardly in his arms. "Here," he said, throwing the items on the floor.

Roxas looked from the floor to Sora before giving in. "Fine, fine." He pulled his Commune from his pocket and handed it to his fellow Aven, wishing he hadn't as soon as it left his hand. "Uhm, if you get bored… or something – don't break it!"

The brunet smiled widely as the blond cocooned himself in his blanket in the corner of the hull, his body going limp with much needed sleep soon after he settled. "You're so weird," Sora whispered to the scientist's sleeping form as he fiddled around on the Commune, skimming recent news articles expertly, "but… you're welcome."

"_Arriving Omnera; nineteen hours," _Xion's voice boomed softly overhead.

It was closer than he had originally thought, but Sora kept his mind on the cooking food and the information at hand. The first thing they wanted to do on Omnera was to _not _start asking questions. They needed to stay low-key, unobtrusive and focused. They had to ask the _right _kind of questions like: "Who do you think has the ability to be the new Council Member in next year's elections?" and not "Who has the fastest rise in political power?"

The extraction of information was a delicate art, and it needed a firm, but gentle touch. The doors to the sleeping quarters opened and the brunet swiveled around in his chair, half expecting to see the recent redheaded addition to their team. But instead Cloud stood in the archway, leaning against the side with shaking limbs.

"Cloud! You must be _starving_." The blond nodded pathetically. Immediately Sora was on his feet, ushering Cloud into a seat in a motherly manner. "Here," he said as he slid a small plate of vegetables and pasta in front of the Genetic. "The main course is still cooking, but I thought you'd rather eat something now."

Cloud, despite the obvious tired lines on his face, smiled gratefully before digging in. The brunet Aven took a seat from across him, watching him eat with a satisfied look. "Thank you… Sora," the blond said slowly, taking in deep breaths after eating too fast. "How'd you know I…?"

"What? That you'd be low on energy reserves? I've worked with a lot of Genetics before, and by the way you just collapsed once you got on board – it was obvious." Sora smiled at Cloud. "Is it any good? The food?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Better than what Ti-… Yeah, it's okay…" The blond's demeanor suddenly darkened as he hunched over the plate gloomily. He'd thought that he would have been past that. Past her – in a sense. He would always love Tifa, he knew, but simply talking about her shouldn't _hurt _so much as it did. She was dead, gone, _never coming back_.

Sora sensed the Genetic's discomfort and shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Roxas made it, you know. You should thank him when he wakes up, though I bet he'll deny it."

Cloud sat up, spotting the curled up form of Roxas' sleeping body in the corner of the room. His brows furrowed, but he made to move to question the Aven. "Is it just me, or is there something about him that just kind of… puts you off?" he asked, his voice quiet and sincere. "I mean… he's not evil or anything like that… I don't know… he just… always looks so _lost_."

The brunet nodded, a flash of understanding splashing over the two of them. "You worry about him, too?" Cloud nodded. "Yeah. But – I think there's more to him than meets the eye… Aren't we all?"

"I guess we are," the blond agreed with a small, secret smile. His stomach growled obtrusively and he cursed, putting another forkful of noodles into his mouth.

"While you're eating… I suppose I should tell you some – uh, bad news, I guess." Quickly Sora got up and went to the kitchen, emerging with a serving of sweetmeat with steaming gravy drizzled on top. "Made especially for you, by the way."

Cloud accepted the tray gratefully. "What's the bad news?"

Sora looked away from the Genetic, his deep blue eyes focusing on the door to the dormitory. "Remember that redhead bounty hunter? Axel Montblanc; back on Idyllia?"

"Please tell me he's dead," Cloud grumbled before taking a vicious bite out of his meal.

"Uh, like I said: Bad News." Sora twiddled his fingers slightly, out of nervousness. "He's alive… and he's kind of, on the ship?"

There was a still silence that enveloped the room with deadly speed as Cloud completely stopped eating to bore holes into Sora's forehead with his crystalline gaze. "Don't joke with me."

"Ha… I wish I was…" He blew out a harsh breath. "Roxas isn't taking it well either, but Xion's letting him stay… Although she's keeping a close watch on him – it's creepy. I'm half expecting her to toss him out the airlock any second."

The blue of Cloud's eye turned sharp as he slowly set down his fork and knife. "I swear to fucking God, if he so much as says something, I'll punch his fucking teeth out."

Sora sent his Genetic friend a confused look, but decided to keep his distance. The sheer anger that came from the blond was in itself, frightening. "I'm sorry… I – I don't know what happened back on Idyllia… I wish I could convince you that it'll be okay… but…" he sighed, moving back towards the kitchen. "We're headed to Omnera – to gather." And with that he disappeared into the kitchens, leaving Cloud to fume angrily over the remainder of his meal.

"Just fucking great," he swore, glaring angrily at his food before continuing eating. He knew he had to restore his energy reserves, and fast if the redhead menace was aboard. He watched Roxas' swaddled body convulse under the blankets, alternately stretching and curling into a fetal position. Slightly agitated, he got up, scowling. How many times did he have to tell him: don't sleep after traumatic events? The nightmares weren't worth it.

Cautiously he crouched next to the small blond, watching the scientist mumble incoherently before pity welled up in his stomach. Tentatively he reached out a hand, running his fingers through Roxas' blond locks and moving to cup his hand around the small blond's cheek; protectively, parental. He moved to shake the blond awake when a vision burned behind his eyes:

_The world was drenched in vivid colors of red and orange, bringing light to the fear and panic on passing people's faces. There was an uneasiness that rustled through them, each looking to the next with the same expression: doubt._

_An explosion filled their eyes, screams raced into their skulls, and at that moment they knew – he was right._

Roxas woke suddenly, sitting up with break-neck speed, sputtering and coughing. Cloud sat next to him, stricken dumb by the impossible experience. "What the fuck just happened?" he asked; his crystalline eyes wide and numb.

"I… Oh Goddess, my head…" Slowly, and a bit mechanically, the blond reached up to grasp at his temples. "Fuck…" He glanced around, wiping his sweaty palms on his blanket. "Uh, Cloud? W-what are you doing?"

With the mention of his name, the tall blond came back to life, leaning away from Roxas. "Shit… You were having a nightmare… I guess… I came to wake you up, but – uh, I guess you're already up."

"Yeah…" The two blonds rose to their feet, both of their limbs trembling as Cloud went back to his meal and Roxas went to the kitchen to grab some of his own. Soon enough the blond returned with a plateful of food, sitting gingerly across from the Genetic. "Did Sora tell you about –?"

"Axel? Yeah. I'll kill him the second he gives me a reason." The blond stabbed a portion of meat viciously.

Roxas watched the display, slightly afraid, but understanding. "Isn't being alive enough of a reason?" he asked, half serious, half joking.

Cloud snorted, a small smile jerking onto his face. "I wish." They sat and ate in a mutual silence, something that was rare between the two of them – but Cloud couldn't help but feel that a small bond between the two of them had formed back on Idyllia. Not that either of them would admit it, but it was there, nonetheless. "Do you think heading to Omnera is a good idea?" he asked after he finished his portion. His stomach felt pleasantly full for the first time in days and he permitted himself to relax, even just the slightest. "Having Xion around so many scanners can't be a good idea."

"From what I understand," the small Aven started, his voice was naturally sharp and downtrodden, "she's going to have to stay on the ship. I think I'll stay here too, if Axel's going to be out there." He sighed and grumbled something about being unlucky and shot.

The Genetic frowned, shrugging his muscular shoulders in a small stretch. He ached everywhere. "Just stay with me," he offered, uncertainly. "Omnera is a shady place; but Sora knows what he's doing. Since we're there, we can try and see if we can pick up some more income?"

For the first time since he met the small Aven, Roxas gave a tiny, almost pleased looking smile. "Sure – I can handle that," he said with a showy flex of his nimble fingers.

They sat in a comfortable silence as the Aven finished his meal, depositing his dishes in the kitchen and scooping up his discarded Commune from the table across the hull from Cloud. He retook his seat across from the Genetic, pecking away at the screen of his Commune idly. "By the way, why were you sleeping out here?" he asked out of sheer curiosity.

The small blond frowned deeply, his deep blue eyes snapping back and forth as he read something on the screen of his Commune intently. "Because –"

With a small sucking noise the doors to the kitchen opened and out walked Sora and Axel with their own respective plates of food. The two blonds shared a look of hatred as they watched the redhead saunter passed and take a seat at the table on the other side of the hull; cocky and uncaring. Roxas almost snorted. It was like being in grade school all over again.

Not wanting to stay in the room any longer, a small thought struck the blond Aven. He stood with a flourish, walking quickly to the extra storage room where they had deposited all the items that didn't need to be refrigerated for the moment. He dug through boxes and bags haphazardly until he came onto a small, plain brown box. He tucked it under his arm before heading to the cockpit, ignoring the curious stares he garnered.

He breathed out a sigh of relief as the cockpit doors slid closed behind him. Peering into the darkness, he took a hesitant step forward, highly unsure of what he was about to do. "Xion?" he asked in a quiet voice. Suddenly the room brightened and he found the raven haired girl standing in the center of the room, the cords that connected her to the ship lying lax around her.

"Roxas," she said with a small nod.

It may have been a trick of the light, but she seemed… expectant. "So," he started out slowly, weighing the box in his hands in front of him. He stared hard at its lid, worrying on his inner cheek nervously. "I've been promising myself that I'd do this – for awhile now – and so… yeah. I've never… done this… so; here." Quickly he thrust the box out to the girl, glaring off to the side.

Xion stayed where she was, staring down at the box in the Aven's hands. "Well, take it," he bit out when she made no attempt to relieve him of his burden.

Slowly the humanoid reached for the box, gently gripping it before cradling it to her chest. "What is it?" she asked, her now familiar guttural accent smoothing over the question.

"A… a gift," Roxas answered, slightly shame-faced. "Just open it, will you?" With a nod, the raven haired girl pried the lid off the unassuming box, pulling out two black leather boots with pointed toes. The questioning look he received made the blond nervous. He scratched the back of his head. "I got tired of seeing you without shoes. So, I expect you to wear those! I- I mean, if they fit…"

He wanted to smack himself for being so childish, babbling like he was. She was just a robot anyway – it's not like she could feel _grateful._ As he turned to leave, Xion made a small, strange strangled noise and he turned back watching her intently. "I… say… what, now?" she asked in a tiny voice, the echo of the room engulfing his senses.

"Uh," he startled slightly, "I guess just 'thank you'."

Immensely blue eyes looked up at him, and for some reason he couldn't help but think that there was _no way _she couldn't feel anything. But… maybe that's why humanoids were so disliked. It was hard – trying to think that something that looked so much like you, can't possibly feel as you do. It was utterly heart wrenching and disappointing. "Thank you."

He nodded sharply before exiting the cockpit. Frowning at the sight of Axel and Sora talking gaily together, he made his way into the sleeping quarters, finding Cloud lying on his respective bed, staring at the bed above him.

"_Fourteen hours; arriving Omnera."_

Roxas flopped down on his own bed, sighing heavily. He'd rather have all the nightmares in the galaxy, than spend another minute in the stifling atmosphere of the rec. quarters with Sora and Axel. He'd never felt so _alienated_, and it… hurt, to have Sora prefer another over him. "This fucking sucks."

"Agreed."

With that the small blond rolled to his side, nestling into his blankets.

-o-

_His eyes blurred; a bright light loomed overhead – a droning voice in his ear. Nothing mattered anymore – there was nothing left, just a hole in her head._

_Death surrounded him, the blood of hundreds on his hands. Unimaginable pain seared through his body, as if every cell were at war with one another. "Help me…" His mind went blissfully blank as his pores burst to flame._

"_I'll protect you."_

-o-

Sora frowned as they landed in Omnera's docks, drumming his blunt nails along the sleek metal surface of the table. Axel sat relaxed across from him, body language open and cocky as he sent provocative glances at Roxas across the room – who in turn glared harshly at his own table with a barely concealed snarl.

The brunet sighed in sheer relief as Xion emerged from the cockpit, blank as usual, breaking the terse feeling of the room. Almost immediately Axel's hands moved from behind his head to around his chest. "Xion," Sora said with a tiny, anxious smile, "remember that you _need _to stay on the ship." The girl nodded – her eyes boring into the back of Axel's head. "Let's go."

Roxas watched as Sora and Axel stood, exiting the ship casually as to not draw attention to themselves. "It'll be fine," the small blond found himself saying as he and Cloud stood; restless. He glanced over at the humanoid briefly. He thought for a second his heart skipped a beat or two when he noticed that she was wearing the shoes he bought her. The small flutter in his chest died almost immediately upon the realization that she most likely put them on because he told her to, and rather assertively.

"C'mon," Cloud said with a jerk of his chin towards the door. Solemnly Roxas followed the Genetic down the smooth, saline ramp. Blinding lights assaulted his eyes as soon as they were off the ship. A loud hum of voices and machines drilled into his ears as he followed his companion through merciless crowds and streets.

As they weaved through masses of people, Roxas saw, or maybe heard – his senses blurring together into one, one that simply _felt _the pulse of the city, beating wildly and rhythmically, the heat that generated from so many bodies in once place washed over him calmly, and he found himself torn between relaxed and frantic.

Finally Cloud pulled him into a building where the music pounded against the walls, and its patrons danced with its rage. "This is a good place to start," the tall Genetic said loudly over the music, "Mostly everyone here is drunk."

"Okay," he said, only to have his voice pulled from his mouth and drowned in the music around him. With a renewed sense of vigor and purpose, he slowly moved into the crowd. Hot bodies pressed and passed against him, making him scowl slightly at the unwanted, but not unexpected contact.

With most people, he could tell if they carried a credit bit or not, just by glancing at their pockets because their clothing was nearly melded to their skin. A few times, as he skimmed the lining of people's pockets, they thought he was attempting to dance with them, occasionally pulling the small blond close and grinding until he managed to break free in a near panic.

After half an hour of scouring, he returned to Cloud, finding the Genetic sipping on a tall glass of amber liquid. "Hey Roxas," he said loudly when the scientist took a seat on the bar stool next to him, "Are you ready to get out of here?"

The small blond gave an aggravated, sharp nod before hopping off the barstool and following Cloud out of the building. Soon enough the Genetic led him into another club that was darker and louder than the last. With nothing more than an anxious shift in his shoulders, Roxas delved into the swell of bodies, nearly shuddering in disgust as sweaty bodies touched him, swaying with the deep, throaty beat of the building.

The groups of dancers grunged with the sound, climaxing with the music, draped in a swarthy atmosphere with dark lights and a faint, emotional pull.

Roxas wandered through people, vehemently declining offers to dance as he went. This type of situation was as far from his comfort zone than he could even imagine. People touching him, loud, mind-splitting music, sweat… he grimaced. Each dancer looked as if they came directly from a cheap bondage vid, and he shuddered at the thought of what many of them did as their day job. He berated himself silently for even thinking about it. Filthy prostitutes.

After skimming what few pockets he dared, he slowly attempted to make his way back to Cloud, demanding to leave the club and go somewhere with less _touchy people_. Anxiety bit at him from the crush of the dancers, and panic began to worm its way into his thin chest.

Suddenly his arm was seized by the crook of his elbow, and he was dragged forcefully back into the thickest part of the crowd. "Hello, pretty-boy," a deep, feminine voice purred directly into his ear, over-powering the blasting music. "I've been watching you."

The strong grip on his arm forced him around – despite his near panicked struggles. He was soon brought face to face with a small, but lean woman. Her skin was painted a deathly white, while thick layers of black eye makeup framed her piercingly yellow eyes. "Don't _touch _me," he hissed as a pink tongue slid across the woman's white-painted lips.

"How lovely," she went on, her eyes roaming the blond as she began moving around the Aven in predatory circles. Before Roxas knew what was going on, the woman had pressed herself up against his back, her hands groping the front pockets of his pants – dangerously close to his crotch. He thought for a minute he was going to vomit from the violation. With a yelp he managed to scramble from her hold and made off into the crowd.

Before he could get far, she was in front of him, venomous yellow eyes boring into his own frightened blue ones. "Pocket-duster," she said; soft and dangerous. He knew pocket-duster was off-world slang for a thief, and he trembled slightly at the situation he'd managed to get himself into; and from the near hypnotic gaze of the dark haired woman.

Roxas huffed, mustering up as much bravado as he dared. "I don't know what you're talking about," he sniffed, sounding much braver than his shaken core felt.

The woman laughed, deep and throaty. "Of course you don't pretty-boy." She circled him once again, and for the first time he noticed how _naked _she was. She wore nothing more than a pair of black heels, a thong, and white body paint. He could literally see the goose bumps on her firm shoulders, the places where sweat had smudged the paint, her pert, painted nipples…

His eyes shot upwards, staring up at the blinding strobes. He thought, as he swallowed hard, that he really was going to be sick. Who the fuck dressed – or didn't dress – like _that_? Disgusting.

"I won't breathe a word about it," she whispered against his neck, her hot breath washing over his now pale skin. He felt ice-cold and his stomach twisted painfully in his gut. "But only if you share some time with me…" She pointed a strong finger towards a small, sectioned off area of the club with a bright, glowing sign that read, "Romp Rooms".

Roxas' eyes followed the woman's projection, reading the sign with a drop of his heart. He wanted nothing more than to leave this filthy planet – hell, he'd rather spend the day trapped in the same room as Axel. "No!" he blurted, "I-I mean… I can't."

The woman shot him a speculative stare before her unnatural eyes widened in some understanding. "Oh… It's your first time, isn't it?" she nearly laughed in her low, seductive voice. "That's alright… I'll make it …pleasurable." She attempted to fling her arms about his neck, but he backed away, looking both frightened and pissed off. Why was _he _always the one to get into these messes? "Don't worry pretty-boy," the woman coddled, "I'm a Hume, and so I'm compatible with just about every race…"

"T-that's not it," he persisted. He wanted to just simply push her away and run, his legs quaked with anticipation, but he was _terrified _that he'd accidently touch her supple breasts, or any part of her. To him she was like a toxin and he didn't know how he was supposed to react – if he was supposed to even _want _to react to her. Never before had he wanted to be hidden away in a lab somewhere working on a subject, alone, for days on end.

The woman frowned, studying the nerve wracked blond before her with a keen eye. "I see," she said at last, with a small nod of her head. "You're gay. You could have simply said so before." The woman blew out an irritated breath, as Roxas became staunch. _Gay_? He grimaced, but the woman seemed put-off by the fact, and he was more than willing to pretend he was gay to keep her at least three feet in distance. "What kind of men do you prefer?" she asked him suddenly, her smile turning shark-like.

"Uh…" He rubbed at his eyes fervently. What the fuck was _wrong _with people in today's society? "Shit… uh, I guess… tall?" he said, more as a guess. Belatedly he noticed that she was eating up every word he said. He wondered what was so intensely fascinating about being gay. "Uh and muscular… but lean… yeah." He scratched anxiously at the crown of golden hair on his head. "I've got to go…"

Expertly the woman slid a scrap of paper into his pocket, before she slid her way into the crowd. "I'm sure. Someone's bound to notice their money's gone." She shot him a feral looking grin. "Call me, pretty-boy." With that disturbing farewell, she disappeared into the swaying and jumping crowd.

Without any further encouragement, the blond made a b-line for the bar, finding Cloud relaxing in a stool. He walked up to the blond, shaken and cold, and grabbed him by the wrist, attempting to yank him out of the club without looking too desperate or frightened. It was difficult to keep ones cool after almost being _raped_.

Cloud, thankfully not as blunt and stupid as most Genetics, took the hint and quickly walked Roxas out of the building. "Roxas, hey, what happened?" he asked, sounding genuine and concerned. The small Aven took deep breaths of Omnera's cold, outdoor air. "Are you okay?"

Roxas shook his head slowly before forcibly righting himself. "I only got three bits," he mumbled at last. The tall blond looked down at his companion with masked sympathy. Roxas, to him, was an unsolvable puzzle. He'd seen a lot over his life, but he could never imagine what the stoic Aven had to have gone through to get to where he was today. Even just the thought of it made him feel depressed. "Let's go somewhere with less music," he cast a blue glance at the Genetic, "and less drunks, too."

As Cloud escorted him down the busy streets, he hoped that Sora was having more luck than he was.

-o-

The brunet Aven sighed heavily, blowing a bit of the foam from Axel's mug. "This is ridiculous," he groaned. The redhead shot him a crooked smirk. "Doesn't anyone follow politics anymore? I mean," he flicked at a rolled up dust bunny on the counter, "most people don't even know _who's _running, let alone what they stand for."

"I'm telling you," Axel said, his tenor voice sweet amongst the gravelly voices of the bar's patrons, "No one cares anymore. Everyone knows politics are just played out dramas. We vote, but no matter what, the guy that has the most power wins. It's just impossible to tell who that is – well, unless you're in their little chain. This is very unlikely."

Sora folded himself up onto the bar counter, resting his aching head in his arms. "I know," he whined. He _hated _having this much trouble while trying to gather information. He was supposed to be an _expert_. "It's just… ugh. Usually there are some posh guys that follow just to try and fit in with higher society…"

Axel snorted into his beer. "High society; on Omnera? Not even in my dreams, kid."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." With a defeated sigh he pushed away from the counter. "I guess we should find Cloud and Roxas – maybe hit a casino before we go. See if I can get Roxas to loosen up some. He's been really tense since Idyllia…"

The redhead ignored the comment, keeping his bright green eyes focused on the faint traces of foam left in his beer. He wished that the small Aven would stop trying to guilt trip him into telling him whatever it was he wanted to hear. He was _not _going to apologize for doing his job. Is all he was doing was looking out for himself – and once he had what he needed, he planned to split before any of them had an idea of what his intentions were.

Besides, there was definitely something distinctly _wrong _about the rogue Aven, Roxas. Even for a Quu, the Aven was reclusive and violent. But there was something about him that both put him off, and yet attracted him – almost like an ancient treasure that had been long since cursed.

"Sure," he said with a careless shrug. Quickly he picked up his mug and drank fully, lapping up the very last drops. No point in wasting good beer when he wasn't sure when his next drink would be.

Sora watched him with bright curiosity as the redhead stood and pressed the folds of his jacket flat. "Does that even taste good?" he asked childishly.

Axel looked down at him sidelong, his green eyes seeming both uncaring and thoughtful all at once. "You've never tried it before?"

Slowly Sora shook his head, unsure of how he should feel, shameful? Insulted, maybe? "No."

"Well!" Axel nearly shouted, throwing massive emphasis into the word, "Here's your chance! Just sit down and have a drink!"

"Uhm," the brunet hesitated, even as the redhead made a dramatic flourish of his hands pointing towards a barstool. "I can't," he said meekly, "I'm… not old enough."

There was an obvious skip in the redhead's movement as he processed the sudden information. "What?"

Sora laughed nervously. "Ha, err, well yeah, you know… Legal age for drinking in the Galaxy is twenty… Uh, I'm only nineteen…"

The redhead seemed to shut down, before jumping back to life. "No way!" he exclaimed, adamant. "You've been Hikari for… at _least _five years! I mean," he stopped, rubbing his smooth chin thoughtfully, "Maybe you inherited the title from the last Hikari?"

"Uh, no… I was in the Society for eight years." He scratched at the back of his head, screwing up his face in thought. "Since I was eleven." He sighed. "Long story short – Avens age differently than just about all other races."

"Okay," the redhead said dubiously. "How old is Roxas then?" he asked with a curious arch of a short brow.

Sora shrugged. "Dunno," he answered simply, turning from the bar and towards the door. "He could be anywhere from ten to eighty."

Axel looked dumbfounded by the information, but still followed the brunet out onto the chilly streets, away from the mingling people and body heat. He breathed in a hefty breath of revitalizing air before falling into step behind the Aven.

Secretly the young brunet watched the tall man from the corner of his eye, an air of mystery and suspicion weaving about him. He wondered if Roxas was right about Axel, and hoped for their sake that he was wrong.

-o-

Cloud groaned as he lost a few more credits to a game of Fortune, glaring at the brightly colored wheels with his bright, crystalline eyes. Roxas sat in the plush chair next to him, pinching the bridge of his nose in slight aggravation. "Don't play if you're going to get so upset about losing," he chastised.

The tall Genetic shot him a look before placing another bet. They watched the wheels of the mechanism spin simultaneously. "Do you realize you have less than an eight percent chance of winning?" Roxas asked as the massive wheels once again landed on separate buoys. "It's a pointless waste of credits."

"I don't see you coming up with better things to do," the Genetic bit out, the grinding boredom affecting his souring mood. Omnera wasn't one of his favorite places – even though he'd only been here once before. He sighed apologetically, "Look," he said lightly to avoid people overhearing them, "There's not much you can do on Omnera without running into trouble."

"Tell me about it," the small Aven said with a roll of his big, blue eyes.

In the midst of their whispering squabble, a young, handsome man approached them – immediately they hushed, staring obtrusively at him, hoping he would take a hint and leave. They'd never been so lucky before, Roxas wasn't surprised when the man didn't leave. "Excuse me," he said in a feathery, pleasant voice. "But you seem to be having terrible luck."

Roxas openly scrutinized the man, looking disgruntled by the unwanted disturbance. The man took no notice of him, instead leaning closer into Cloud and cutting off the small blond's line of sight. The man himself was tall and thin with wispy, dark red hair that fell around his ears like a snug cap, and had intoxicatingly deep, purpled shaded eyes. Roxas was not impressed.

Cloud looked stressed, his right hand twitching by his side where one of his swords was normally located – the swords he'd opted to leave behind on the ship to help advert attention. When the redhead got no reply he sighed, as if amused. "I wonder about you…" he said, moving even closer to Cloud, who, in his attempt to keep what dignity he felt he had, refused to edge away and held his ground. "So handsome, but so angry…"

Now the two men's' faces were nearly touching and Cloud looked ready to simply start swinging his fist. "Oh well!" The man suddenly shot up standing to his full height. Roxas noticed, with narrowed eyes, the man deposit a small credit bit into his pocket. Reflexively he stood, pushing the man back into Cloud – instinctively retrieving the bit that he was positive belonged to the Genetic. "Uwa! What the fuck?"

Roxas clenched the bit in a trembling hand as Cloud stood, forcing the red haired man to scramble back and safely away. The man blew out an aggravated breath as he righted himself, dusting off the lapels of his shirt. "Whatever," he grumbled haughtily. "At least I have…" The man felt around his pocket momentarily before becoming rigid. "Where the fuck did it go?"

"Looking for this?" Roxas asked, holding out the small credit bit between his thumb and forefinger. "You're too obvious," he sniffed with an air of superiority.

The man looked at him, stunned, before his entire form turned into a wavering brilliant light and he seemed to melt away before their eyes. "How did you do that?" In the exact place the thin man had been standing, a young, dark red haired woman stood – dressed in full custom Galactic military issued armor. "How the hell did you take that bit from me, without me noticing?"

Roxas, his mind frozen at the sight of a man simply _shifting _into an armored woman, stuttered. "How the _fuck _did you do _that_?" he shot right back.

The woman stepped back, her scowl slowly turning into a devious smile before she broke out into hearty, feminine laughter. Cloud shot him a worried look. "I'm a _Morph_, of course!" she nearly bellowed. "My name's Kairi Valentine! It's good to finally meet someone who can best me at my own game!" She gave a mock jovial curtsy.

Cloud gripped Roxas' upper arm harshly, quickly pulling him away from the scene. "Check your Commune to see if Xion's sent the signal that Axel and Sora have returned to the ship," he demanded quietly as he began dragging the small blond through the casino.

"H-hey! Don't just leave in the middle of a conversation!" Roxas chanced a quick look over his shoulder to see the woman following them expertly through the crowded streets.

With a bit of effort, he managed to fish his Commune out of his pocket and check his server connection with Xion. "Nothing," he said after a moment of wait.

Cloud cursed under his breath. "On the count of three, we run." Eyes turned towards them as they passed. "One…" The hum of the streets seemed to meld with his quickening pulse. "Two…" Roxas quivered with anticipation. He _knew _the woman was right behind them. "Three! Run!"

Energy that he didn't know he had burst into his limbs as he and Cloud took off down the streets. They ran through endless roads, pushing people aside as they went. After a while with no dock in sight, Roxas huffed out a question that had been going through his mind. "Why are… we running – again?"

"She's military," Cloud breathed out heavily. "Not good…" He stopped short in an intersection, looking around wildly before taking off again. "Where the hell are we?"

Roxas nearly tripped. "You don't… know where we are?" he tried to hiss angrily, but his lack of breath made him sound more pathetic than he'd have liked. Instead of waiting for a lame excuse – like he knew he was going to get, he dug into his pockets and pulled out his Commune, hoping to link to Xion's server and use her location to map out where they were.

He attempted to work his Commune as they ran, with little success. "We need… to stop!" he nearly begged, fearing the worst. Something in his stomach dropped unpleasantly and a little part of his mind screamed at him to stop. Acting on instinct he dug his heels into the pavement, only to be jerked by Cloud and pulled down to the pavement, landing roughly on his arm and Commune. "Ah… _shit_," he moaned.

"Shit, Roxas, dammit!" the tall Genetic cursed, helping the small Aven back to his feet. Roxas winced, grabbing the joint of his right elbow painfully.

"Something's not right," the scientist whispered suddenly, his eyes becoming bright and alert despite the searing pain that ran through his arm. "It's so quiet."

Cloud stood straight, his ears perking and fists clenching. "You're right," he said. Briefly he thought he heard the faintest of footfall in the distance. "Let's get out of here before –"

"Before what, hmm?" A tall, tawny man emerged from the nearby shadows, the cold chill of Omnera suddenly dropping further in temperature. As if spawning from the darkness itself, two more men appeared, each one wielding a wicked plasma blade. "Guns are too loud," the man said, staring, transfixed at the blue-hued sword in his hands. "We like the quiet – just like your deaths are gunna be…"

Roxas ducked and ran, barely dodging a terrible swing of a blade. He growled at his luck. Sora had taken off his bandages only hours before! "Goddess!" He wanted to scream, to simply beat on the ground and hit his head against a wall until everything went his way. "Dammit Cloud! This is your fault!"

"_Shut up!_" the Genetic yelled back, powering up a few levels only to be fast enough to move out of the way of each precise and deadly swing. He knew that they were dead unless he could manage to disarm one of them and take their weapon. How could he be so _stupid _as to leave his weapons on board? Before the Genetic could think up a plan to save their asses, there were loud footsteps and the woman who had been chasing them emerged from the mouth of an ally.

"Scum!" she yelled, her red hair billowing about her shoulders, a long, thick pole gripped tightly in her hands as she entered the battle like a whirlwind. The first man to fall was nearest to Roxas. The woman moved gracefully, spinning around and striking the man where his skull and spine met with built up momentum. She turned with her back to Roxas and her weapon held defensively before her. "Surrender," she said evenly, her eyes hard, "And I'll spare you."

The two remaining men looked at each other until one laughed. "_Pah_!" he laughed, "Surrender, to you?" He looked to his partner. "Let's kill her."

The woman frowned deeply, side-stepping a lethal swipe of a wickedly made sword and bringing the hilt of her weapon to his temple with force. He fell to the street limply. As she made to turn to take out the last man, he was already upon her, and she gasped; her violet eyes wide with surprise and ultimately fear.

Suddenly the man dropped, blood spurting from his mouth and nose. The woman shied away from the mess, shielding her face with her unoccupied hand. "W-what?"

With a grunt, Cloud pulled the blue plasma blade from the man's back ribs, the sound of infused metal searing against flesh loud in Roxas' ears. Purposefully the blond set himself back into a fighting stance, staring hard at the woman before him. "I guess I should thank you," he said icily, reverting from the parental Cloud that Roxas was accustomed to, to something more vicious and evil. "But we really can't have Galactoids following us around."

The woman sniffed haughtily, lowering her defenses and snuffing her nose. "I'm not a Galactoid," she said, "Well… at least not anymore." With that she crossed her arms, tossing Roxas a curious look. "By the way – are you okay? I saw that nasty fall you took."

"Whatever…" the small blond murmured, refusing to acknowledge the fact that his arm was growing stiff and swollen. He was positive that he'd broken something. "We have to leave – _now_."

Cloud nodded, tossing aside the bloody sword. He moved over to Roxas, helping him up despite the Aven's half-assed protests. "W-wait!" the woman said suddenly. She headed them off and stopped, throwing open her arms. "Let me come with you!" She fumbled for words for a moment. "I-I mean; I know you guys have things to do, but I've been stuck on Omnera for… I'm good in a fight – you've seen it yourselves! Just… let me go with you until you hit the next star cluster. Please?"

"Fuck…" Cloud cursed as Roxas fiddled with his damaged Commune with a heavy frown. "Do we have signs on our backs that say: We take misfits!"

Roxas snorted, "I think so." Finally his Commune blipped to life and he pressed it up towards Cloud's face. His stomach tingled and a small smile formed on his tanned face briefly until it dropped and was replaced with a tiny look of contentment. Cloud wondered at him for a moment before turning his attention to the grid map on the screen of the Commune. "I don't think we have a choice," he muttered ominously.

The tall blond seemed to struggle internally before sighing. "God… Okay," he said with a scowl. "But you're gone as soon as we hit our next destination."

"Oh… Oh!" The woman jumped in surprised, obviously used to being turned down. "Thank you so much!" Her smile was bright and infectious, and Cloud couldn't help but let his shoulders drop in defeat. "My name's Kairi Valentine – like I said before. It's a pleasure to meet you…?"

"Cloud."

"Roxas."

She nodded. "Cloud, Roxas! Are you headed to the docks? I can show you the way, if you want." The two blond's merely looked at each other as the woman nearly skipped off in the direction of the docks. They followed her in silence, brooding over the day's events. Roxas prayed that Sora had found something useful.

-o-

"Wow," Kairi gasped as they made it to the docks. She pointed to the ship, its blue metal gleaming in the pale moonlight. "Is _that_ your ship?" she asked, delighted. "It's so retro! Gorgeous."

As they approached, the ramp descended towards them, glittering and peaceful. Roxas' heart seemed to sigh wistfully at the sight. "I hope Sora's back," he muttered to Cloud, who only nodded in agreement.

The ship was dark, and Kairi stood close behind them, eager yet slightly unsure of herself. The lights slowly flickered on and with a quick scan around the cabin Cloud shot into a defensive position.

"Who the fuck're you!"

-o-

_**A/N**_: WOW! Sorry this took so long to get out! My gravitational pull to the reality of Earth has been hitting me hard these last couple months. :(

Anyway – thank you everyone that reviewed last chapter! My heart soared with each one!

Also, **Happy Halloween! **(To those that celebrate it.)

As always: Thanks to _**Lucia-luce **_for beta-ing this mofo! She's awesome, and persistent, and naggy… But over all awesome and patient! Cheers!


	6. Chapter 6

**Kismet**

"Who the fuck're you!"

Roxas leered into the ship, trying to ignore Kairi's presence behind him. Soon enough he saw what Cloud had. At one of the tables sat a man, long, silvery hair draped across the side of his face as he slumped towards the table top.

The man stirred slightly, threads of silver hair slipping from behind his shoulder to his face. Slowly he looked up, a single eye – a piercing, near translucent teal, staring wide at them. It reminded Roxas of the classic "Oh, shit" look back at Quanta Robotics. When you _know _you've fucked up, but it wasn't obvious how bad it was until just then.

Slowly Cloud inched his way into the hull, keeping low and protective, heading slowly towards the sleeping quarters where he had kept his swords. The man made no movement, no sound, and Roxas realized with a stifled laugh, that the intruder was gagged, cuffed and tied to the chair. "Cloud, it's fine," he said calmly, holding out his uninjured hand to the Genetic – the other curled instinctively against his stomach, throbbing, but forgotten for the moment.

The doors to the cockpit swished open and Xion steeped out, a single cord dangling from the ceiling was plugged into the base of her neck and trailed behind her as she walked further into the hull. "Xion," the small Aven breathed out in exasperation. "What the hell happened here?" Cloud's stance hardly shifted as he stood in front of the doors to kitchen, a heavy frown adorning his masculine face.

Xion rolled her shoulders, a light, relaxed movement. "This one," she said with her purring accent, "Crawled onto ship – through ventilation system." She nodded, wiping away a few strands of black hair from her face. "Impressed."

"You're _impressed_?" Cloud mimicked with a snort. "What's next? Delta–Nine's major star implodes and we all live happily ever after?"

Roxas pinched the bridge of his nose. "There's no such thing as 'happily ever after'."

"Uh, excuse me – but why does she have a cord sticking out of her back?" Both blonds pivoted to face Kairi with slight looks of shock, having forgotten her presence almost entirely. She stood awkwardly in the archway of the ramp doors, twiddling her two forefingers together.

Xion cut behind Roxas, gently pushing him out of the way, to stand in front of Kairi, somewhat challengingly. "Who is this?" she asked, her deep, vivid blue eyes looking directly into the small redheaded woman.

As if on instinct, brought on by the crushing stress of her situation, Kairi saluted; her heels clicked together, and her hand rested firmly upon her brow. "Kairi Valentine, Ma'am," she said, staccato. "I'm here to ask for privilege to travel on this ship to your next way-station, ma'am!"

The dark haired humanoid stared at Kairi for a few long seconds. "Roxas," she called over her shoulder, "I do not understand her."

The blond sighed. "She's getting a ride," he miffed, approaching the silver haired man wearily. The man glared evenly at him as he drew closer. With his good arm, he reached towards the man's mouth hesitantly before slowly tugging on the fabric that had been haphazardly stuffed there. He wondered if the guy could even breathe properly, but he supposed that's what he got for breaking into people's ships. "I think it's time we got some answers," he muttered gravely. There were too many questions, too many unknowns, too much suspicion. Nothing could ever be easy. That, and they had some time to kill before Sora and Axel showed up – preferably without Axel.

Gently, half afraid of being bitten, Roxas grabbed onto a corner of the fabric and pulled, slightly revolted to find that it was a sock – and a rather old and used one at that. Once the sock had been successfully extracted the mysterious man gagged, dry heaving a few times before spitting a thick glob of saliva onto the smooth floor of the ship.

Roxas grimaced as he tossed the sock at Cloud. "I'm pretty sure that's yours." He stepped back from the man, setting his good hand on his hip. "Who're you?" he asked, once everyone had boarded properly and settled down a bit, and once Cloud had finished grumbling angrily to himself. Roxas wondered if the tall blond had had one too many drinks while they were out.

"Go fuck yourself," the man hissed in a raspy voice. Briefly Roxas pondered how long he'd been gagged by the repugnant sock and what, exactly, Xion had been thinking.

The small Aven groaned. He felt like he was fighting a losing battle and simply gave up. The pain in his arm roared through his body now, stiff muscles in his neck brought on a fierce headache that pierced between his eyes. All he wanted to do was go to sleep and wake up comfortably in his apartment back on Duune. That wasn't too much to ask for, was it? "Goddess…" He slumped down at an empty table, resting his head against the cool surface.

"Listen," Cloud spoke suddenly, striding across the room and pressing his face close to the milky one of the man. "We have proof that you broke into our ship, there's a Galactoid standing _right there_." His voice dropped dangerously as he pointed at the confused redheaded woman. "I suggest you comply or she'd be _more _than happy to take you with her."

Kairi perked up at the threat. "Oh, yes, of course. I'd be happy to bring him to Beánorre," she played along, not missing a single beat. "I specialize in riot control, and have been stationed in ISGP for a few years now, but bringing him in might help bolster my bonus this year. I'm expecting a rather fat check, cha-ching!"

The man's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but Roxas could tell that he was unsure if it were a show or not. Finally his engrossing eyes slid to the table's surface. "Don't kid me," he said darkly, "That _girl's _no Galactoid. Don't talk about things you don't understand."

Kairi huffed; offended. She pulled out her long, pole-like weapon from a small belt sheath that rested against her side. "Why _can't _this girl be a Galactoid?" she nearly seethed, pressing the end of the metal bar against the soft underside of the man's chin. She stopped and peered into his face, her eyes hard – a look that seemed foreign for her sweet features. "I wonder… You've been to Beánorre before, haven't you? No wonder…"

Almost immediately Kairi's face seemed to lighten before she sheathed her weapon once more. "He's dangerous, that's certain," she concluded with a cross of her arms. "But… Bringing him back to Beánorre would just be… cruel."

"What do Galactoids know of being honorable?" the man spat, struggling against his bonds. He looked frantic for a few moments before he let out long, rattling coughs. "Fuck…"

Roxas lifted his head off the table, his skin prickling with goose bumps uncomfortably. Suddenly the door to the hold slid open and Sora's mop of chestnut brown hair came into view. The brunet Aven stopped short, surveying the scene curiously. "What's going on in here?" he asked carefully.

Axel stooped into the hull with a bored look, his hand quickly wrapping around his ribcage reflexively when he spotted Xion standing darkly in the corner. He grimaced. His chest still ached dully as his bones slowly stitched themselves back together, and he wasn't really in the mood to risk a few more fractures. "Who are those two?" he asked with a sharp, predatory glance at the small redheaded woman and the captive man.

Cloud sighed heavily; agitated. Roxas knew how he felt. Any moment now a brigade would be brought to shoot them off this planet, like they had been on so many others. "This is Kairi," he said sternly waving a hand over the woman's head, "She's getting a ride with us." He jutted a thumb towards the bound man. "Xion caught this one breaking onto the ship while we were gone."

The tall redhead grinned a crooked, vicious grin. For the first time Roxas noticed two, small tattoos on the man's cheeks. They looked simply like two charcoal strokes left by an artist – making his already threatening eyes look all the more dangerous. "Broke onto the ship, huh?" he mused aloud, crossing the hull in a few lithe steps. He pulled his gun artfully from its holster, suddenly pressing the narrow barrel between the mysterious man's eyes. "We should just kill him."

The silver haired man gave a small involuntary shudder at the redhead's dark words; the near pleasure that came to Axel's eyes sent a chill down his spine.

Both Kairi and Sora bristled at the suggestion. "You can't _kill _him!" they protested in chorus, looking both desperate and angry. Roxas snorted as almost everyone in the room began to bicker about what was and wasn't humane. Sometimes he wondered: What did it all matter? About being humane or not. There was no such thing as _human _anymore. Why did it matter if they _acted _like humans? It's not like it would get them far – otherwise humans wouldn't be extinct.

"Xion!" the small blond barked out as his temples pounded painfully. The room suddenly dropped into a tense silence. He looked to the dark haired girl with a thread of hope – the only one on the ship that could actually make decisions. "What do you want to do with him?" he asked. "Kill him?" he motioned to Cloud and Axel, who both highly supported the idea, "Or make use of him?" then he motioned to Kairi and Sora.

The humanoid paused, her endless eyes scanning rhythmically around the ship. "I was impressed," she mumbled, mechanically rubbing her chin as Roxas did so often when in thought. "Roxas said no killing. Sora does not like death. Spare."

Maybe she didn't make the _best _decisions, the blond Aven concluded as Kairi and Sora rejoiced, as if they had won some grand prize, but at least she made them.

The silver haired man looked both relieved but doubtful. "What will you do with me?" he asked slowly, not daring to be hopeful. He looked to Sora, probing the small brunet's blue eyes with a silent plea. Roxas narrowed his eyes at the display. Obviously the man was smart, targeting the most soft-hearted member of their crew.

"Well," Axel started, his tenor voice rumbling in his throat. "Since we can't kill him, why not force him into servitude?"

Sora's eyes tore from the man's gem-like teal one's to glare heatedly at the redheaded man. "Axel!" he cried, "Stop that!" He took a few tentative steps to the man, kneeling down to peer thoughtfully into his creamy face. "What's your name?" he asked, as if he were speaking to a child. "I'm Sora."

The man seemed to scoff before his shoulders sagged. "My people call me Riku," he said hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure if he could possibly utter a lie to the innocent face before him.

Suddenly Sora cracked a grin. "I've heard of you," he chirruped. "Riku the Shadow – or something along those lines." He chuckled. "It's been awhile since I've been through the data banks." He reclined back to the heels of his feet rocking softly. "Hmm, oh – yeah, you're a rather famous thief – if I'm recalling correctly. Oh! You're a Doro… from… R… Rahkuna, yeah, that's it. And uhm, you've been to Albatross twice and Beánorre once." He tapped the side of his head, laughing gently at the shocked look on Riku's handsome features. "Not bad at all, eh?"

"And here I was thinking your head was as empty as Roxas' heart," Axel chided.

"Shut the fuck up, moron," Roxas hissed, gripping the swollen joint of his arm, hoping to stem off the pain by creating more pain. He wasn't sure how it worked, but it did ease his mind slightly.

There was a buzzy feeling about the ship, the two possible additions to the crew creating both excitement and tension. Roxas felt vaguely sick as Kairi and Sora both flung questions at the bewildered thief, while Cloud and Axel seemed to ooze dissatisfaction.

Sora's white teeth flashed. "Riku," he said loudly; pleasant. "You should help us. You're skilled, and if you stick with us, you're much less likely to be sent back to Beánorre."

Roxas snarled, the mixed atmosphere around him closing in on him like a humid storm. "And twice as likely to be shot!" he nearly yelled, his angry voice booming over all other conversation. "This isn't a fucking… _tea party_, Sora!" There was a frightened hush among his companions as he stood, his arm cradled against him. "We're probably going to die," he reasoned, although there was a feeling that he was more ranting to himself – coming to terms with their mortality aloud. "If we're lucky, is all they'll do is kill us." He sent a maniacal glare at the crew around him. "You all _do _realize we're being hunted – _all the time_… by The Society, probably by the Government, fucking _Bounty Hunters_."

The air felt cold from the small blond's fury. As he started to pace, he moved to point accusingly at someone, but instead he gasped in sudden pain, spinning on his heel and smashing his good fist onto a nearby tabletop. "_Fuck_!" he ground out between clenched teeth.

Almost immediately Sora was at his side, cautiously touching his arm after pulling up his red jacket sleeve, slowly forcing the joint to bend and flex with care, despite the strings of curses the blond let out. "It's broken," the brunet said with a heavy sigh. "I'm guessing it's not severe, but it's your joint…"

Axel's lime eyes grew wide as a thought struck him. Xion moved gracefully towards him, a deep fiery look in her eyes as she approached. "W-what the fuck!" he shouted, moving and weaving between stunned people, artfully dodging calculated grasps from the fuming humanoid. "I didn't fucking touch him!"

In desperation the redhead pushed Kairi forcibly into the black haired girl, who in turn, only pushed the redheaded woman away – albeit more gently than before. "Roxas is injured," the humanoid seethed, "And so will you be. Promised."

Sora pressed Roxas close to the wall, guarding the blond from the havoc within the room. The airlock wouldn't open, no matter how much the redhead kicked at it or pushed up against it. He dodged in helpless circles, pushing and pulling confused crew until Cloud snapped, grabbing a fistful of long, red hair and yanking Axel to his side. "What the hell is going on?" he barked, holding out a furious hand at Xion to get her to stop.

The girl paused, eyeing the redhead with something akin to hatred before her entire being went blank. "She's trying to break my fucking arm," Axel spat, clawing at Cloud's hand. Whenever he was even close to freeing himself, the Genetic would power up a level and tighten his hold. "Ow – Fuck! She told me that whatever happened to Roxas she'd do to me, okay! Fucking _let me go_!"

"Xion, just leave him alone," Roxas said over the quiet of the crew. "It's not his fault." There was a strange, merry light in his vastly blue eyes as he spoke. Xion took a tentative step backwards before she nodded. She sent an unreadable look to the redhead. "It's good to know the terms of Axel's stay, though."

Axel stood straight, his entire cocky façade melting angrily. "Next time you fucking break your arm – make sure to break 'um both so I don't have any way to fucking _strangle _you! Augh!" Cloud pulled harshly on his hair, in warning, before letting go.

The atmosphere in the hull was deathly and strained as Kairi rubbed a sore spot on her head. A little timid at first, a small chuckle emanated from the captive man, before he was consumed in rolling laughter. "You guys are fucked up," he said once his bubbling chortles died down. His features suddenly turned serious. "Only people under pressure act like that – obviously you're into something big, it's not that hard to tell." His light eyes found their way to Sora. "I'll come with you. To keep you guys from dying as quickly as you claim you will."

Sora, delighted with the proposition, nearly skipped over to the man and hugged him. "That's great," he said instead. "Isn't that great, Roxas?"

"Sure."

Cloud rubbed a strong, calloused hand down his face. "If we're really going to do this," he grumbled, "We're going to need more supplies before we leave port. We don't have enough to support six people for more than a week or so."

Roxas nodded heavily, as if his head were too burdensome to keep upright. "Might as well refill the water tanks while we're still lucky."

With his good arm the blond pulled out his Commune and the three credit bits he managed to pilfer from the clubs. Systematically he went through them, entrusting the money to Sora before handing the brunet the bits. "Here – take someone with you and get the basics… clothes, bedding, groceries, and medical supplies – whatever. Just make sure to spend it all, okay?"

Sora looked down at him gravely, taking the bits with a frown. "What about your arm?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

"There's nothing you can do about it, at the moment," the blond answered with a pained sigh. "I'll live."

With a grimace Sora stood straighter. "Cloud, there's a sling in my medical bag. Why don't you help Roxas out? He needs to keep the joint moving – so it doesn't stiffen." He turned away from Roxas with a gentle smile. "Why don't Kairi and Riku come shopping with me?"

Riku looked up at him blankly. "Well, gee, Sora – I'd _love _to, but you see… _I'm still tied to the chair_." The silver haired man looked agitated, rubbing the handcuffs around his wrists together uncomfortably.

The brunet Aven smacked himself lightly on the forehead. "Oops! Roxas what elements were they bonded with again?" he asked, pointing to the dimly glowing handcuffs.

Roxas looked up, his eyes fixed upon Axel. "Chlorine-Oxide," he answered.

As if sensing the challenge, a dangerous glint rose in the sharp green eyes of the redhead before he quickly moved behind Riku, and within a couple seconds, the silver haired man's hands were free. Sora spent the next couple of minutes cutting the cloth tied around the man's legs and chest while everyone else simply watched or went about their own business.

Cloud outfitted Roxas in the sling, sighing softly and apologizing every so often for his mistake, before heading out to see what he could do about refilling their water tanks and possibly dumping their septic tank, too.

Finally Sora came to the last binding around the silver haired man, pausing in trepidation. This, Roxas knew, was the moment of truth. The _second_ that last rope of cloth was cut, the man was free to do as he pleased. Even though he said he'd help them, but it could have been extortion to get free.

It seemed as if everyone in the cabin held their breath as the last slivers of binding were sawed away with Sora's small medical knife. As the fabric fell away, the silver haired man stood, rolling his shoulders and neck with a tiny, strained look on his narrow face. He grunted and a small pop resonated through the room. Roxas grimaced.

With a gleam in his bright, teal eyes, Riku placed an outstretched hand onto Sora's head, burying his fingers into the Aven's thick brown locks. "Where to, oh savior of mine?" he asked, his voice filled with good humor as he pushed his face closer to Sora's.

"U-uhh… Shopping!" the brunet stuttered, pumping a fist into the air before marching off towards the door. "Let's go!"

Roxas watched Sora leave with a worried ache in his chest. It must have been obvious, as Kairi hesitated at the ramp before turning back into the ship. She leaned, almost secretively across the table towards the blond scientist. "Don't worry," she whispered; her voice sympathetic. "I'll make sure nothing happens to him. I swear it."

The blond Aven made a gruff noise in the back of his throat dismissively. He couldn't trust her either – he had no idea who she was. But with a slump of his shoulders, he starkly realized that he didn't know _anyone_. Cloud, although somewhat friendly, was a Genetic. Most Genetics become pirates or military, or something else that involves weapons, torture and a chain of command.

Sora, like himself – an Aven… There were always so many implications and contradictions behind being one. And yet, there Sora was, working in an evil organization. No by-the-Book Aven would _ever _do such a thing – they'd probably kill themselves first. But he wasn't sure; of anything. Especially about what it was to be an Aven – since he'd never met one before Sora. His only comforts were simple religious texts from Aven culture, maybe a small research paper over them. That was it.

Worst of all, was Xion. A humanoid – both dreaded and desired all across the Galaxy. He had every right to be as paranoid as he possibly could. There was absolutely _no way_ someone hadn't caught onto what she was – or at least be curious. She had been too exposed to many of the greater powers of the Galaxy; someone had to have an eye on her, and sitting like a duck in the docks wasn't his idea of a good plan.

Xion stared hard towards the exit doors. "Why can I not go out?" she asked after a long silence. Axel sank heatedly back into a shadowed corner.

Roxas groaned. "You just can't," he said, trying to be as vague as possible. Axel didn't know what she was – and he preferred to keep it that way.

"Why not?" He shot her a glare, nearly infuriated at her uncharacteristic stubbornness.

He sat back in his stool, nursing his broken arm close. "There are hidden scanners everywhere," he tried to explain. "They'll detect _you_."

The black haired girl sent one last look to the airlock, her pink lips tipping down before settling back to expressionless. She strode gracefully across the room, surprising the Aven scientist by taking a seat in front of him, mimicking him by rubbing a hand along her face. "I have question."

"You've been asking a lot of questions lately," he mumbled, his good hand moving to rub his swollen elbow tenderly. "Is this really the time?" He didn't want to have any kind of discussion with the humanoid in front of the dangerous redhead.

Xion hesitated a moment, her hand floating above the table before she gave a stern nod, gripping the table's edge with her deceivingly small hands. "What is…" she stared hard at the table, as if she were searching for words that she didn't quite understand. "When all is quiet," she started, fumbling, "Pictures… I see moving pictures."

Instantly Roxas' brows furrowed. His scientific mind buzzed on a high – because here was, essentially, a robot _telling _him that it was experiencing a phenomenon of –

"You're dreaming, so what?" Axel said sardonically from his corner. He twirled a lithe hand in the air.

Roxas scowled and wished more than he'd ever had, that the redhead would just go somewhere and die. "Yes," Xion said in her guttural accent, "Dream is right word."

Verging on fascinated, although slightly paranoid of the situation, Roxas pulled out his Commune, opening its data-pad feature and using its built-in data stick to scribble reckless notes onto the screen. A small smile quirked its way onto his face as he wrote in his small, scratchy left-handed handwriting. He hadn't thought that he'd be taking any kind of scientific notes during this mess of a "mission" that they were on. In fact, he figured they'd all be dead by now. "Xion, what do you dream about?" he found himself asking, tapping the data stick on the table a few times.

An airless sigh emerged from the humanoid's lips. Dark lashes covered her deep, dark blue eyes. "…Zoja."

With the utterance of that single word, in his mind's eye he saw the woman from his nightmares, like a horror vid gone wrong; her wispy hair pulled under her hood, the white snow falling about them, the burning – the smoke, her glassy, dead eyes. A frigid feeling worked it's up his spine; his stomach roiled in protest.

Xion's head drooped towards the table, the cord protruding from her neck growing taut before a small zipping noise from the ceiling produced more leeway and it grew loose once more. "I remember… things," she whispered, her hands slowly itching and twitching until she gripped her upper arms. Suddenly she looked up to an astonished Roxas with an intense look. "Net! Ne ostavlyaĭ menya! Zoja!" she screamed. The lights in the ship flickered and there was a screaming roar around them before something crackled with rouge electricity and dissipated.

Xion slumped onto the table, holding her head in her hands. Roxas, stunned into silence, held his Commune tightly to his chest. He noticed from the corner of his eye, that Axel was staring with wide eyes at something on the ceiling, but he returned his focus to the convulsing girl before him. "X-Xion?"

She looked up at him, her body and face going blank – as if nothing had happened. She was a robot once more, and the thought nearly saddened the blond. "I have question," she said dully – her eyes seeing past the blond she addressed.

For a moment the blond wondered if she had relapsed a circuit. "About what?" he asked quietly, afraid that if he spoke too loud then the strange feeling around the room would shatter and she'd leave, more robotic than ever.

"What happen…? World is gone… now many. Why?"

Slowly Axel made his way over to them, sitting defensively next to Roxas. His red brows were knit dangerously as his near lime green eyes sporadically took in the ship around them. The blond understood at that moment, that the redhead could see something that no one else could, and that fact distressed him slightly. But after a few moments Axel gave up his search, instead peering around the table slightly peevishly. For the first time, Roxas didn't mind.

He turned his attention back to the waiting humanoid, who seemed very intent on harvesting information from him. Taking another moment to remind himself of what little he knew of Xion's background, he sighed, "Earth…?" he paused, "has been gone for a very long time."

Axel turned his sharp eyes to the scientist. "What the fuck are you talking about?" he snapped. Roxas wondered what he had seen that had put the man so on edge.

Ignoring the comment, he traced a finger along the surface of the table, cradling his broken arm close. "I'm no historian," he continued with a grimace, "But I can tell you what they taught in school. So maybe about thirty percent of it is true.

"About three hundred or so years ago the most prominent nations on Earth broke out into a resource war." He grimaced, wishing that he had paid a little more attention in class.

"It was over out-space mining," Axel butted in. Even if he didn't understand _why _Roxas was giving the lecture, he felt a little bit better, finally having some intellectual edge over the blond genius.

Roxas shrugged, refusing to give the redhead even an _inch _of accomplishment. "Because I'm assuming they weren't stupid enough to try and Nuke each other…" He frowned, remembering seeing recent news vids about "inhospitable" planets being nuked to help speed the process of mining valuable minerals. "Or smart enough – either way, they decided that instead they were going to create _Super Soldiers_."

"In other words," the redhead drawled, "They were fucking around with human genetics. DNA manipulation."

Roxas sent him a glare. "Would you just shut up?"

"I'm just saying…" he said with a cocky grin and a roll of his strong shoulders.

The blond grimaced. "For the first few years of The Genetic War, most of the soldiers created were just mindless monsters. Then they hit some sort of breakthrough. That's when the first Genetics were created – like Cloud. They were faster, stronger, smarter than any human could ever be… And each nation created their own version of a Super Soldier. Synths each had a unique ability that no Genetic could match; Humes were unstable and came with surprising abilities such as power over an element, or… telekinesis."

Axel nodded slowly. "And after years of war, humans suddenly realized that their "Super Soldiers" could mate… and create fertile offspring. _That_ scared the shit out of them, because suddenly these all powerful _creations _were very much real and staying."

"Classic Frankenstein Syndrome," Roxas continued, rubbing his nose irritably, "That started a Segregation Movement across the planet – making it so that any genetically altered being who wasn't fighting and dying in the war was simply outcast. They couldn't own property, vote, use currency, marry – anything except join the military."

"This, in turn caused a rebellion. A lot of humans died – but most Synths, Genetics, and Humes went off-world and settled space-stations where they began perfecting space travel and studying colonization of other worlds."

Roxas sniffed. "And soon enough it was humans fighting humans again, and eventually someone, somewhere – no one was really sure, lost it and set off the first of many, many nukes – turning the Genetics War from simple militaristic combat to Nuclear War, and ultimately the destruction of Earth. Of course a few humans made it off-world with the others –"

"But there were so few that they couldn't sustain their population for more than a couple generations before they simply died out." He sent Roxas a snide grin. "There's actually a book out there called "The Last of My People", it's an autobiography about the last human. You should read it sometime."

The blond Aven glared narrowly at the redhead. "Goddess," he groaned, "You're worse than a brown-nose nerd."

Axel bristled at the comment. "So hateful," he chided, falling back into his arrogant façade. "Whatever did I do to you?"

"You mean _other _than attempted murder, using me as a meat-shield, attempted kidnapping, threatening to strangle me…" he sighed bitterly, his upper lip curling.

The redhead scratched at the back of his head. "When you put it that way…"

Xion stood suddenly. "Thank you. Find next location soon. Something comes." With those cryptic words she left the two squabbling men, returning to the cockpit in silence, her face shrouded in shadow as she watched her feet.

"I don't like the sound of that," Axel said with a grimace. Suddenly he felt awkward sitting next to the blond – his ex-target, the reason he was trapped here, the source of both his pain and amusement. Part of him wanted to get closer to him, to touch him and hurt him in ways that were almost unimaginable; but another side of him wanted to stand back and watch, learn, and understand; to prove his theory right. To get one step closer to his life's mission.

A small shiver racked the blond's body. "Neither do I…"

The entrance to the hull slid open, the ramp descending with a barely audible hum. Cloud made himself visible, stopping short inside the ship. He eyed the redhead wearily before motioning Roxas over. "Are you alright?" he asked in a harsh whisper.

Slightly upset that Cloud couldn't leave alone for five minutes, but grateful for the concern, the small blond shrugged. "Yeah, but," he paused before giving a sigh. "Xion's asking questions… about – dreams. She says she remembers things."

It was as if from the ground up the tall Genetic began turning to stone as he took in the information. A humanoid was dangerous enough, but a humanoid that _dreams_? Dreams could be related to things such as subconscious thought, free will, even _emotion_. Roxas had pondered all these qualities before as he designed and created robot after robot. And every time he asked himself: What if they felt? What would they tell him? How would they act? But to even imagine such a thing was dangerous – especially if someone found out.

Finally Cloud seemed to snap out of his shock. He rubbed his eyes with a palm of his hand, running calloused fingers through his thick blond hair. "Anyway," the Genetic said, somewhat loudly. "I've got someone on their way to flush out the water and septic systems. It'll only take about an hour." He shifted in his spot somewhat nervously, his hands clenching strongly at his sides. "Is Xion in the cockpit?"

Meekly Roxas nodded, ducking out of the Genetic's way to the cockpit. Sending a suspicious glance back at the redhead, he went to the airlock, watching as it opened and the ramp slid down. Not really wanting anything more than the cool air of Omnera in his lungs – instead of the stuffy air in the ship, he sat towards the top of the ramp, watching the crowds of people move about restlessly.

Not too far off from the ship, he noticed a rather large knot of people gathered together, talking furtively. Sirens blared loudly and increased in volume as they became closer and closer, a few armed men in uniform black and orange pushed through the people, carrying a stretcher between them.

Curious, he looked hard at the crowd, attempting to figure out what was going on. Soon enough the medics made their way to the center of the group, yelling and shouting for them to disperse and get on with their days, which they eventually and begrudgingly did, making it easier for the blond to see. Two of the medics laid the stretcher flat, while the other two bent down carefully lifting a young woman from the ground, her head lolling on her limp shoulders. Roxas couldn't make out any details about her except for her head of fine, sweeping blonde hair and her stark white dress.

"I wonder what happened," he mused aloud.

There was a snicker behind him. "She probably passed out – she looked like she hadn't eaten in _years_." He looked up to see Axel standing behind him. His legs looked incredibly long from where he sat. The redhead frowned at Roxas' blank look. "In all seriousness though." His smooth face became stern, "I don't think she was your average person. We've got to leave dock as soon as we can."

Roxas frowned. "We have to stay at least an hour, or longer – whenever Sora gets back…"

Axel nodded, but the blond didn't see as he turned back around to stare out into the masses. "You're being rather hospitable today," Axel dared to venture.

"Shut up and go away." The redhead chuckled. "No, seriously. Get away from me." The redhead's laughter stopped short and he mumbled something obscene under his breath before stalking away. The blond absolutely _refused _to be coerced into a trap set by the redhead. He was entirely convinced that the man was simply waiting for the opportunity to kill him and make off with his bounty – and even more convinced that he was trying to get something from Sora; and that was what frightened him the most. He had a gut feeling that Axel knew something that he never wanted a _soul _to find out.

Only the Goddess was to know.

"Goddess let my secrets follow me to the grave, and may you show me forgiveness and embrace me after death," he prayed quietly, unaware to prying ears.

-o-

Sora frowned as he looked over the front of a highly decorated shop, decked out with flashing lights, mannequins in the front windows and shelves packed with rather miscellaneous items. "Huh…"

"Souvenir shop," Riku said with a satisfied air, strolling up next to the brunet.

Sora blinked, tearing his eyes away from the sight slowly to look up at Riku; Kairi wasn't far behind, but far less relaxed than his new silver haired friend. "Oh, yeah, I know." He looked back into the shop. Their wagon was parked next to him, already sporting a decent stack of new goods. He fidgeted slightly, unsure if he really wanted to leave their precious cargo unattended on a planet like Omnera.

Kairi joined them, a weary hand floating above her weapon. Riku shifted. "Why don't you just go in, Kairi and I'll watch the wagon."

"Oh, no, it's okay…"

Riku sighed, placing a firm, but gentle hand between the Aven's shoulder blades and pushing him towards the shop. "Just go – it's obvious you want something. We'll be fine. If anything happens, Kairi'll clobber them."

A small smile twitched onto the redhead's lips. Sora looked between the two of them before letting loose a happily excited breath. "Ah, okay!" the brunet said before nearly running into the shop.

"I wonder what he saw," Kairi mused aloud as she watched the brunet bounce into the shop, an armored hand moving to push a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Riku turned sharply towards her, his lithe muscles easily seen under his body formed clothing – his ensemble completely black with the exception of a simple tan colored vest, one that looked easy to remove in a pinch. "You don't trust me," he pointed out bluntly.

Kairi's deep purple eyes roamed over the man's face briefly before they slid back towards the shop. "Of course not. You're a thief, and a killer."

The accusations didn't seem to bother the Doro. "And you can be?" He crossed his arms over his strong chest. "They're obviously some kind of criminals," he started, "and they're on the run from Galactoids – which you happen to be."

"I'm not," she muttered with a shake of her head. Her eyes never moved from the smiling brunet in the shop. "That seems like such a long time ago."

The silver haired man chuckled. "And I'm supposed to believe _you_? You're even wearing official GP Squad Leader armor." His teal eyes flashed dangerously. "I'm not stupid."

Both the woman and the man went on the defensive in miniscule actions, hands hovering above weapons. "And how am I supposed to believe that you're not a simple cutthroat – waiting to kill us while we sleep." Now her harsh eyes glanced back over to him, foreboding, hiding their own purple shaded secrets.

Riku sniffed, relaxing suddenly. "I'll do anything to stay out of Beánorre."

Sora came bounding out of the shop, a small red bag clutched close to his chest. Kairi held Riku's gaze for a moment longer. "Me too," she whispered as the brunet approached with a grin.

"Are you guys ready?" he bubbled, "We're almost done!" Kairi and Riku turned and looked at the bright Aven, small smiles travelling onto their faces. They wondered if Sora knew how contagious his personality was.

The redhead nodded, throwing and hand up in the air and twirling it around before pointing directly ahead. "March!" she barked lightly with a tiny giggle. "The sooner we're off this planet, the happier I'll be."

-o-

Roxas sat, perched in the open doors of the airlock, his feet dangling over a thirty foot or more drop. The ramp had ascended after about fifteen minutes of brooding, where he decided to simply watch others pass by from his vantage point. He watched as the tanks were flushed, the bottom of the ship opening sleekly, revealing two massive canisters holding water and waste.

As people passed, some would occasionally call out to him, saying things like, "Hello up there!", or "Are you waiting for someone?" – To which he would nod. Someone even yelled out, "Hey there cutie! Wanna have a good time?" To that one he shouted out an equally loud, "_Hell no_." That made Axel laugh from somewhere in the ship's cabin.

He watched with oceanic eyes as the planet's low glow sun began tipping upwards towards the sky, basking the luminous city in a dusky purple haze. An anxious feeling welled up in his throat. The longer they sat here, the more of a target they became. He kicked his legs haphazardly, not really afraid of falling. Death was probably as painful as sitting there in anxious fear – or perhaps less so. He stared down the spiraling height, contemplating the likeliness of an afterlife.

"Don't even think about it." Roxas' head shot up, losing his balance slightly from the sudden change. Cloud quickly grabbed his shoulders even though the small blond was nowhere near falling. "Dammit…"

The Genetic frowned, deciding to take a tentative seat next to the Aven, a single leg dangling over the edge, the other crossed beneath him. Cloud sighed, a light breeze swept passed, tousling their blonde hair. "What are you doing up here?" the tall blond asked after a few moments of civil silence.

Roxas cocked his head to the side, enjoying the small feeling of freedom that heights gave him. "Thinking; waiting," he answered in a quiet voice, almost peaceful – startling Cloud.

"Hm." He looked out over the people, attempting to search towards the insides of the city. "Axel's cooking," he mumbled. The silence felt awkward. Now wasn't a time for peace or relaxation. He needed noise – action. His mind traveled back to Idyllia and his close encounter with the brunet bounty hunter. A gloved fist clenched harshly in anger. He refused to _ever _be that weak again – Roxas… he sent a sad glance at the small blond. Roxas and the others were counting on him. He wouldn't – _refused _to let them down.

Not like he had Zack and Tifa.

"… poison… it?"

Cloud blinked, realizing that the small Aven was staring directly at him with a confused face. "I'm sorry, what?"

Roxas rolled his big blue eyes in exasperation. "Is he poisoning it?" He really hated repeating himself. But since the tall blond looked to be utterly lost in thought, he decided to spare him a sarcastic remark.

"Oh." He shook his head, a tiny smile playing at his face. "I don't think he's _that _stupid."

The Aven snorted. "I'm more surprised you're giving him any credit at all."

Cloud nodded heavily, crossing his muscular arms as he stared out over the city. "I'm not saying I like him; I don't." He bit his lower lip. "But I think he's going to be useful – as long as he finds _us _useful. If you understand what I mean."

The wind whistled briefly between the two blonds. "Yeah," Roxas agreed after a moment. He peered back into the cabin, making sure they were out of earshot. "Personally, I think he's trying to get something from Sora."

Bright crystalline eyes became cloudy in thought. "Sora?" the tall blond pondered aloud. He frowned, his masculine features prominent. "I guess… that makes sense – if you think about it that way." A long sigh ripped its way from the Genetic's throat. "Who could he be after, if it's not you?"

"I don't know," the words tasted bitter on his tongue, "I don't think _he _knows."

They sat silently, reveling in their separate thoughts. Roxas' eyes were half lidded, long lashes dusting over freckled cheeks each time he blinked slowly. He was a beautiful creature – anyone would say so if he wasn't there to listen. No matter how tan or pale he became, no matter the intensity of his snarl or the messiness of his hair, there was something about the small Aven that drew people towards him; until they got a taste of his venomous personality – melting away their praise and love with stinging words and harsh treatment.

And yet the blond could hardly bring himself to care. He didn't need _people_ – nor did he need their praise or adoration. People, he had learned, were simply stepping stones to the next advancement in life, because it didn't matter what they thought of him; as long as they knew _he _was better.

He sighed. And if he were to get lonely – he had his lab, his wondrous creations. He loved robots because robots didn't judge; they didn't tell him whether he could or could not return to the Goddess, speak down to him because perhaps he resembled a child from a different culture. He loved them because they spoke from their proverbial hearts. They had no ambition to step on him with, no malice – no love. Yet, there were times, more often than not, that he wished they did.

"Guys! Hey guys! We're back!" Roxas' head shot up as he scanned the crowds, occasionally catching glimpses of a bundle of brunet spikes bouncing through people, jumping up and down, waving his thin arms around. Both the blond's pulled their feet up, allowing the ramp to descend as Sora approached the shuttle with the biggest grin Roxas had ever seen him wear.

Sora bounded up the smooth ramp, glancing back to monitor his friends' progress with the wagon. Kairi made a rather intimidating guard. "We've got plenty," he said in a rush, slightly breathless from running. "One of the guys you pilfered was _loaded_." He laughed merrily, a childishly happy gleam in his eyes. Roxas suddenly wished he had gone with.

Slowly the thief and the redheaded woman brought the load onto the ship, with a bit of hassle. Systematically they began unloading the boxes upon boxes of supplies, passing through the kitchen as they placed box after bag into the spare supply room, as Roxas worked to make up the two new beds, which consisted of him simply throwing pillows and blankets onto the unused beds with his good arm.

When he finished, the blond collapsed onto his own bed, nestling into the warm blankets with relish. His blue eyes drooped with fatigue and he sighed, rolling onto his good arm and propping up the broken one on his hip. Faintly he heard their meal being called out and served, but stubbornly he ignored it, no matter how much his stomach protested.

He saw eating Axel's food as falling into the redhead's ultimate plot to deceive him. Perhaps he was being paranoid – but he was rightly so. The doors to the dormitory slid open as the very redhead he held under suspicion strode in, a steaming plate balanced on a flat palm.

"Look," Axel said with a deep frown, his small tattoos bending with the expression, "I know you hate me and shit, but if you fucking starve to death – I'm not gunna get my ass killed because you're retarded."

Roxas snorted, peeling his eyes away from the tall redhead and cementing them to the sleek wall before him. "Whatever," he grumbled, "At least you'll deserve it."

Axel made a frustrated noise, before simply sighing. He set the plate on the floor next to the Aven's bed. Without another word he left the blond to dwell in his own misery. The redhead agreed that being paranoid could be a benefit, but Roxas was being _ridiculous_.

The blond Aven rolled onto his back once he was positive Axel was gone. Carefully he peered down at the dish, surprised to see the plate heaped with steaming rice and mixed vegetables. There wasn't even a mystery meat present for him to brood over. His stomach squealed in want, his mouth becoming watery despite his protest. He never hated himself so much for being weak before.

-o-

Sora frowned as he watched Axel emerge from the kitchen with a plate of his own, sitting next to him with a scowl on his normally unemotional features.

"Are you okay?" the brunet asked, watching Riku eat slowly and thoughtfully from the corner of his eye.

Axel unhitched from over his plate, a serving of water fowl, moist and dripping, on his fork. Sora made a disgusted face at it. "Perfectly fine," the redhead said snidely.

Riku snorted in amusement as Kairi's head hung towards her food, trying to avoid the frightening look in the tall redhead's bright eyes.

As they continued to eat in awkward silence, the back doors opened and Roxas slinked miserably into the commons, taking refuge with Cloud – who had been sitting alone, engaged in brutal mental warfare with himself as he stabbed at the food on his plate mercilessly.

Roxas slid easily into the seat across from the Genetic, sending the man a few weary glances. "So," he started, using his good hand to try and smooth down his messy hair. "Where are we headed?"

Cloud stiffened, jostling out of his intense self loathing by the question. "Shit." Suddenly the room felt more relaxed as the blond powered down several levels he hadn't known he'd activated. A strong hand moved and rubbed his temples in slow, calming circles. "Good question," he breathed out after a moment. He sent the table across the hull a look with icy eyes. "Any ideas?"

Sora looked up at the ceiling in thought, chewing a mouthful as he did so. "I have no idea," he admitted miserably. "I don't even know where to start! How do you find someone whose life depends on being hidden in the public eye?"

The silver haired thief's eyes narrowed slightly. He started scratching his fork along his plate, creating an irritating noise. Once he was sure he had everyone's attention he set the utensil down, lacing his fingers together in front of him. "That's because you're trying to start from the top of the ladder while you're on the ground," he explained cryptically; Kairi sent him a confused look with perfectly arched brows. "Start at the bottom, work your way up, one step at a time."

"Oh!" Sora's face cracked into a grin. He rubbed at his face sheepishly. "Well… I don't – I really can't think of any politicians, well, none that I know of that are corrupt." He grumbled. "They have a way with avoiding press or information leaks of any kind, really."

Kairi's head rose. "You're looking for corrupt politicians?" she asked earnestly.

"Yeah, why, do you have any leads?" The brunet was almost leaning out of his chair in anticipation.

The redheaded woman nodded solemnly. "Yeah; I do," she said shortly. Her grip on her fork intensified, the fibers in her armor groaning. "Her name is Larxene Vlakerian." The woman sat back, crossing her arms, looking down at her plate with dark eyes. "She's pretty small fry – but corrupt is definitely the word to describe her. She lives in a mansion on the planet Skosmos – right outside the Ondarion cluster."

Roxas stood sharply, strolling into the cockpit with the information before anyone could argue and say otherwise. Xion stood in the center of the cockpit, as usual. What was unusual was that the room was lit; casting long shadows along the girl's back and stooped shoulders.

Slowly she looked back towards him over her shoulder, her eyes glowing dimly as she peered at him through half lidded eyes. "Roxas…?"

He sighed through his nose. "Our next destination is the planet Skosmos, outside the Ondarion cluster."

The raven hair girl nodded, looking towards the massive plasma-glass window before her – one that Roxas had never noticed before in the darkness. Out the window he could see the expanse of the Omnera docks, the other ships and frigates that had been stationed along side them. Some ships even had old, built in pressurizers – he wondered if this ship had one… at this rate they might end up needing it – in case they were forced to land on a planet that didn't follow galactic pressure regulations.

"Understood."

Roxas frowned, hesitating before simply sliding back out of the cockpit to join Cloud once again. He didn't know what else to say to the humanoid – he didn't know what he _wanted _to say.

As he sat the ship around them sprung to life, whirring with energy. Each member of the crew held onto to their seats, holding their breath in attempt to keep the jolting feeling from rising into their stomach as the ship suddenly tipped upwards and took off.

Roxas' ears popped uncomfortably as they all waited for the unpleasantness to end. When the ship finally evened out, Roxas let his head drop to the table pathetically, resting his warm skin against the cool surface of the table. Cloud murmured something to him, but he didn't hear. In response he simply shrugged.

He suddenly didn't feel very well; almost nauseous. It was probably because of the sudden take-off, although now he was getting rather used to it. Maybe he really hadn't been getting enough sleep – which was probably the reason. It was hard to sleep in the same room as a psychotic murderer.

"Roxas," Cloud said loudly, shaking his shoulder restlessly, hoping to get the small blond to stir, "Why don't you go to sleep. You don't look so good."

Sora perked up at this, abandoning the conversation at his table. "Roxas, did you eat? I didn't see…" The brunet stood, slowly making his way over to the blond, a deep look of concern on his thin face.

Before Roxas could protest, Xion's voice flooded over them, bringing with it a small wave of internal panic for each crew member. _"Hostile ship incoming."_

Roxas peered up at Cloud, who had become visibly tense with that single statement. He was about to say something when a sudden stab of pain ripped through his head – as if someone were attempting to drive a screwdriver through his temples. An icy shiver trembled through his spine as he gripped harshly at a thick chunk of his hair, right above his left ear.

_Hold on._

It was as if his body moved on its own accord. He swiveled in his chair, wrapping his legs around its barred back, locking them together at the ankle. His broken arm was cradled delicately in his lap as his good hand intertwined with the bars of the chair.

"Roxas, what are you do-"

Cloud was cut off by the sound of an echoing explosion. Before anyone could really register what was happening the ship tilted at an extreme angle. _"Engaging evasive maneuvers."_

Plates slid from their spots on tables, falling to floor with a clatter – Cloud's broke into sharp, jagged shards. Sora began sliding backwards, quickly losing his balance as the tilt of the ship began to become more and more acute. Kairi fell from her chair with a jerk; she slid under the table, thumping up against the wall with a curse.

Sora fell back with a startled cry, finally losing his balance completely when the traction on his shoes wasn't enough to keep him upright. Panicked, Roxas reached out to the brunet, only too late – nearly falling himself.

In a flash Riku jumped from his chair, expertly catching the brunet before his head could hit an empty stool. Once the Aven was in his arms, the silver haired thief attempted to right himself, only to stumble. He pulled the brunet close, smashing roughly against the wall of the cabin with a groan. Sora stared around wide eyed, nestled safely in Riku's arms.

The ship quickly tilted in the opposite direction; another explosive noise could be heard somewhere above them. Kairi slid across the floor until she hit the opposite wall beneath Cloud's feet. The Genetic had taken example of Roxas, twisting around for easy leverage of the chair's bars. Riku and Sora collapsed to the ground, skidding across less gracefully than Kairi – who had somewhat expected the change.

Axel, with a loud curse, fell from his chair, hooking his ankle around the post of the stool to prevent sliding across the ship and smashing his head or face into the wall. Roxas wanted to bark out a laugh – especially when he saw the near murderous look adorning the redhead's face for falling.

"_Breech attempt – prepare."_

Roxas' mouth went dry. Even a highly skilled humanoid couldn't multitask to Xion's current capacity. If there was a breech attempt, it was almost likely that the ship would be boarded. He threw a wild look to Cloud, who seemed to be thinking along the same lines as the Aven.

The blond Genetic jumped from his seat as the ship began to even out once more, fumbling and slipping back towards the dormitory where his swords were safely kept.

There was static drilling noise from the airlock. Immediately Riku and Axel were on their feet, pulling out weapons and readying their stances. Roxas peeled himself from his chair, scrambling over to Sora to help him to his feet. "We have to hide," the brunet breathed out as he stood. Kairi flagged them down, gesticulating wildly towards the kitchen door.

"I wish I had access to stop them," the blond Aven griped as they took off towards the door.

Sora nodded heavily. "Me too!"

The airlock doors opened slowly – screeching loudly as if there were something trying its damndest to keep them closed. A small figure managed to slip through the pried doors, a whirlwind of white and silver, before the doors slammed closed with such force that, if anyone had been between them, they most likely would have been cut in two.

Before either Axel or Riku had a chance to react, the figure leaped towards Roxas. The driving pain in his skull re-entered with blinding force, nearly crippling the blond with its strength.

_Move._

Again his body found its own will; jumping back with a skill he hadn't known he could possibly posses. The figure landed in the precise spot he had stood, a wave of sparkling energy smacking the crew lightly as it spread across the room. Sora gave a frightened gasp, scampering backwards.

Purposefully the figure stood, thin, angular shoulders set back proudly. "I don't wish to fight." It was a woman, with spindly limbs and flowing blonde hair that was tossed over a shoulder. She wore a simple, silver and white bodysuit, to combat the vacuum of space and the sting of plasma bullets. The top half of her face was covered by an angular visor that looked to be made of a single piece of metal, completely hiding her eyes.

Without hesitation Riku was on the woman, two wickedly made knives – one's that reminded Roxas of a pair of demonic wings – spinning expertly between skilled fingers. "I won't fall for that!" the silver haired man shouted, swinging swiftly at the woman. She dodged him deftly, but administered no counterattack.

Taking the bewildered look Riku gave them as a cue, Axel and Kairi took up stance. His aim was perfect, and there wasn't much space for the mysterious woman to use, but whenever he fired, she simply wasn't there – as if she could predict when he was pulling the trigger. Kairi and Riku were having as much luck as he was trying to hit the woman.

Cloud suddenly rushed into the room, his sword trailing behind him, buzzing with energy. The woman's head snapped towards the Genetic, and in three leaps and a side-step she managed to dodge a volley attacks from the crew, but not nearly as gracefully as she had before.

Roxas and Sora pressed themselves against the corner of the room, trying not to bring any attention to themselves in any way possible. Most of all they tried to stay out of the way of Axel's stray bullets, afraid that one of the small, black scorch marks on the walls and floor could be either of them in a moment.

There was a loud _twang _reverberating throughout the room, as Kairi's weapon clipped the woman's shoulder during a series of attacks. The woman stumbled; Axel took his shots, only to have the bullets absorbed into a high capacity shield. Suddenly the blonde woman rushed Kairi, grasping the redhead's weapon between two hands.

A surge of white energy traveled up the pole from the woman to Kairi. The redheaded woman shrieked, dropping her weapon and nearly dancing away in pain, clenching and unclenching her hands. "Ow, shit!" she cursed. Her purple eyes suddenly turned sharp, a look of understanding on her face.

"I don't wish to fight," the woman repeated. "Give me the Aven and you'll all be safe." There was a cold chill in the room as the woman's hand raised and pointed slowly towards Roxas and Sora.

Cloud stepped vehemently in front of them, his sword held threateningly in front of him. "You'll have neither," he said coolly.

The woman seemed to stare the blond Genetic down for a moment, although it was difficult to tell, each of the crew members waited anxiously, ready to strike at any moment once the makeshift parley was finished. "Cloud," Kairi stage whispered, "I know what she is, and I know how to stop her. Trust me on this one." Both the woman and Cloud stared at the small redhead. Cloud's face alternated between confusion and anger before he deepened his offensive stance. Kairi took it as a sign to continue. "Power up as many levels as you can at once!" she hissed as Riku suddenly sprung towards the woman, effectively destroying the ceasefire.

The Genetic waited a few moments, his eyes trailing the woman briefly before he inhaled a deep breath. It was as if everyone in the room choked at once, as a wall of energy near exploded from the tall blond. The mystery woman gave a startled cry, covering her mask with her hands.

Using the confusion to her advantage, Kairi darted forward, scooping up her weapon in one hand and using the other as a balancing tool, she slid; reigning in her momentum to spin slightly – her weapon arching in a long sweep before colliding with the back of the woman's head, effectively knocking her out. The woman crumpled forward, falling to the floor in a heap.

A loud snapping sound resounded around them, followed by intense turbulence of the ship. Sora clutched onto Roxas, his eyes wide and fearful. "What's happening?" he shouted over the ominous banging of turbulence.

Riku lifted his head, relatively more calm than the rest of the crew. "We're off the Galactic Highways – we're in Free Space now." He ran a hand through his silver hair. "You can tell because the ship's fighting against a gravitational pull – from whatever distant planet. Who knows?"

"Well, there's no way those bastards'll follow us through Free Space," Axel grumbled, looking slightly pale.

Cloud's energy levels dropped, splashing the crew with a small feeling of relief. "Assuming we'll live through it. There's a _reason_ the Galactic Highways were made."

Roxas pushed off the wall, standing with a wince. His head ached dully, but he felt normal – or as normal as he could get these days. "I'm sure Xion can handle it," he said with a sigh. His deep blue eyes traveled over the unconscious woman momentarily. "I think we have a bigger problem on our hands, at the moment."

Sora, feeling a lot braver, stepped forward, waving off whatever Axel was about to say. "We can't kill her!" he protested, reading half the crew's minds'. "She has _information_. Who she is and what she knows, why she's after us, _who's _after us!"

"He has a point," Riku said, sounding reluctant. He deposited his knives into a pair of barely visible sheathes stitched into the sides of his pants. "It would be pointless to kill her now. Understand your competition."

"We need to do something with her," the small, blond Aven said with a small sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose in agitation. What was wrong with the people on this ship? "Just tie her up for now… Goddess…"

Axel snorted. "What is it with you and tying people up? Is it a kink of yours?" The tall redhead smirked as Roxas' face bloomed into a shade of offended pink.

"S-shut the fuck up, moron," Roxas stuttered.

Instantly he felt relieved when Cloud strolled across the room casually before punching the redhead in the arm – hard. "Ow! What the fuck! Goddammit!" Axel made a few pained noises as he tenderly touched the injury on his arm. He was probably lucky it didn't break his arm, never mind the massive bruise that was already forming.

Feeling slightly empowered, Roxas swept past Cloud and Axel, heading directly into the cockpit to check up on Xion. He knew she was fine, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. How was she handling the stress of the break in? To what capacity could she fly the ship? What were her limits?

As the doors slid closed behind him, he saw Xion's feminine silhouette against the vast image of pure space; an exotic blanket of stars spreading across the viewing window, no flashing orange and green strobe lights to follow along the Galactic Highways, no other passing ships. Just endless, beautiful space; his heart skipped a beat at the sight.

He walked further into the room, until he stood directly beside the humanoid girl. Her brows were drawn over closed eyes in deep concentration. For a moment he wasn't sure if he should interrupt her. "…Xion?" he asked cautiously.

The girl's eyes snapped open and the ship began shuddering. Just as quickly her eyes shut and the rumbling of the ship ceased. "Roxas…" she murmured. "Safe… Good. Must concentrate. Planets pull from behind and left. Makes travel difficult."

Roxas nodded, unsure of what to say. He dallied beside her a moment, hesitant. "I… If you need help, just let me know." And with that he left, feeling awkward and slightly upset with himself. He didn't understand why he kept talking with her – like she was a _person_. Each time he always felt more and more disappointed with himself – with _her_. For simply not being what he wanted her to be. He was a disgrace to the scientific community.

"… That should hold her."

He looked up to see Riku making a finishing knot in some shredded cloth around the mysterious woman's arms. Riku sat back, viewing his handiwork with a satisfied look on his creamy face. Sora scratched at the back of his head. "I hope she wakes up soon – you didn't hit her too hard, did you Kairi?"

As if to answer his wish, the blonde woman stirred, a small, pained moan escaping her pale, plump lips. She flexed her arms a bit, a frown crossing her face when she noticed her position. Finally she looked up, her metal mask reflecting the light of the room. Before anyone could question her, she spoke.

"My name is Naminé..."

-o-

_**A/N: **_"… You killed my Father. Prepare to die."

Haha, if you get that – I love you. :D

Thank you everyone for your support and reviews! :) I hope I replied to everyone – I _think _I did; but I'm paranoid that I'll reply to a review twice. xD

Also, the next update will, more than likely, be late. Finals are coming up in two weeks, and I'll be spending the two weeks after Christmas in Florida – my home away from home. Thank you all for your endless patience. I feel so undeserving. ^^;

On that note, thanks – as always – to my beta and BFF **Lucia-luce**! She's a superstar – no matter how much she denies it, or tells me that's a weird thing to say. :D Cheers!


	7. Chapter 7

**Kismet**

"My name is Naminé…" the woman said flatly – reminding Roxas painfully of the day he and Xion first met; without the gunfire. The woman's head tilted, angled oddly at Kairi. "You are… very skilled. I'm surprised you did not kill me."

Axel touched his narrow barreled pistol lightly. "That can be remedied."

Sora shot the tall redhead a scathing glare – or as scathing as Sora could get; but it was enough to shut Axel up. Kairi frowned, crossing her armored arms over her chest. "I'm not a murderer," she snipped, obviously offended.

The woman nodded her head in what seemed to be understanding. The room flooded with a hesitant silence as the woman simply sat, head cocked to the side, motionless. No one really knew what to say – their feeling of dominance and superiority stripped from them the moment Naminé opened her mouth. "It seems," she murmured after a few minutes of agonizing silence, "that I was mistaken."

Riku stood straight, his arms crossed and shimmering teal eyes narrow. He drummed his fingers on his upper arms impatiently. He was waiting for an excuse to kill the woman – that much was obvious. "But all is not lost," the blonde woman continued. "I am at your disposal," she said suddenly, decisive. "I shall come with you."

Cloud nearly exploded. "What?" he demanded; disbelief shining in his crystalline blue eyes. "You expect us to just… take you in? After you broke onto our ship and tried to kidnap one of our crew?"

"Well…" Riku drawled slowly.

The Genetic glared at him icily. "Shut. The fuck. Up." The silver haired thief sniggered into a hand.

The woman shrugged in her bindings. "I am very useful," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I have information – highly pertinent to your mission." A feeling of dread filled the minds of Roxas and Cloud. That sentence alone didn't bode well for them. "I also have many talents, for your use."

"And you think we can trust you?" Kairi asked, looking suspicious. It was always about trust with the small redhead, Roxas noted with a bitter taste in his mouth.

Sora took the moment of ensuing silence to take a seat in front of the woman, spreading his hands out on the table top before him. "How, exactly, do you plan to help us?" he asked.

Naminé's head swiveled towards the brunet. "I am a double agent," she said slowly, "as an officer of OSGP – working directly under Sephiroth, Lord of Dunedin." Sora blanched noticeably. "He does not control my actions – nor does OSGP." Her head tilted slightly. "I was under order of the Lord of Dunedin to bring an Aven by the name of Dr. Roxas Yevon to him." Eerily her head slowly turned towards the blond scientist. He could almost feel her invisible eyes on him.

"What does he want with Roxas?" Axel demanded loudly, making half the crew jump. Naminé spoke in a very soft, almost pleasing voice – one you almost had to lean in to hear.

The blonde woman shrugged. "I know not," she admitted. "I do not question my orders. I… prefer to live." A few protests began to arise, but Sora cut them short, raising a single hand for silence. "I am not your only pursuer, however." She shifted in slight discomfort. No one moved to help her. "The Galactic Police are searching for a young woman with black hair – accused of integrating robotics within herself. Also, a man by the name of Squall Leonhart follows you as we speak – seeking the several bounties sitting upon this ship."

Axel shifted wearily. The woman picked up on it immediately. "Perhaps you know of him?"

The tall redhead grunted. "I suppose we're… familiar, with each other." He scowled.

The briefest of smiles graced the blonde woman's lips before it fell. "Yes." She sat up straighter in her seat, ignoring the fabric that dug tightly into her upper arms. "To begin, I highly recommend registering your ship. Whoever placed the false information lock on it, succeeded in hiding your presence for a few weeks. Not a small feat – Galactic modifications are made almost daily. But it is no longer in place, and it is not difficult to track an unregistered ship."

Roxas was torn between boasting and fuming in outrage. "There's nothing we can do about that – not now, anyway," he lied instead, crossing his arms with a thoughtful look.

"I suggest creating false documentation before rendezvous with your next destination. Staying in one place for too long is not recommended." Half the crew gave her similar looks of 'no shit'. Except Axel, who voiced his opinion. Naminé shrugged again, her lithe shoulders rising and falling with the motion, pushing her windswept hair back over her shoulder. "I did not state whether or not the option was obvious. Yet, we continue to waste time."

Sora nodded vigorously. "I agree," he said with a final, stern nod. The brunet suddenly seemed serious, his normal bubbly features drawn into a line. "I trust you, Naminé. No one gives away Sephiroth and plans to head back. Everyone knows that spells certain death." The woman's chin dropped a fraction, hardly noticeable, but it was there. Sora picked up on it right away. "I say: let her help us. She obviously has nowhere else to go. All her cards are on the table – what do you guys think?"

Cloud's eyes were dark and stormy as he regarded the bound woman. Slowly he sighed. "She can hold her own in a fight," he admitted begrudgingly. "As long as she doesn't try anything – it's fine with me. I'm in."

"Eh…" Axel scratched at the back of his head, his face screwed up overdramatically. "We don't have enough beds…" was the best form of 'no way in hell', he could muster.

Sora waved his complaint off. "Don't worry about that."

The tall redhead huffed in defeat. "I'm… in." At least it was nice to have his opinion wanted for once.

The brunet Aven turned in his seat, big, blue eyes seeking. "What do you think…?" Roxas stood straighter in anticipation, his answer waiting on the tip of his tongue. There was a saying that he was growing rather fond of recently: Keep your friends close – keep your enemies closer. "… Riku?"

It felt like a slap in the face to the small blond. He swallowed a large gulp of air to keep himself from blathering something stupid and emotional as the silver haired thief gave his approval. Roxas could scarcely believe it. Sora would choose that… that filth mongrel? That miscreant riff-raff? That stupid, condescending, imbecilic trash? He could feel his face flush in anger, and as much as he tried to quell it, he only felt angrier.

With an upset harrumph he turned on his heel and stomped off towards the dormitory, ignoring the prickling stares that were sent his way.

"R-Roxas?" Sora's worried voice wafted to his ears. "Where… I mean… What do you…?"

The blond swiveled back around, haughty, "I. Don't. _Care_." And with that, he stormed further into the ship, a sense of relief falling upon him once the doors to the common area were closed behind him.

Almost immediately he felt stupid for acting as he had, but he absolutely _refused _to crawl back in there and _apologize_, of all things. Instead he continued on into the dormitory and fell onto his bed, grumbling heatedly to himself as he did so.

He wasn't sure how long he laid there, his face stuffed into his pillow, before the doors to the dormitory slid open. "Go away," he said, his voice muffled through the pillow. He sincerely hoped that it wasn't Sora careening down at him.

"_Now _what's put you in a mood?" His head shot up at the sound of Axel's miffed voice. "Do you have some kind of emotional disorder, or what?"

The small blond snarled, throwing his pillow at the tall redhead as hard as he could, wishing with all his might that it could actually cause the man bodily harm. "Would you just get away from me?" Why, out of everyone on the ship, did it have to be _him _that decided to check up on him?

Axel caught the pillow gracefully, fluffing it up distractedly before tossing it back to the foot of the Aven's bed. "There aren't many places to hide on this ship," the man said offhandedly, as if he were reading the blond's mind. "Cloud went off to try and talk to Xion about Naminé – who's been untied, while Sora and them are busy having an orgy in excitement." He sighed, easily pulling himself up onto his respective bed high above Cloud's. "It took all my skill to escape unnoticed."

Roxas sent the man a deadpan look. "I really, honestly, don't care."

"I never said you did," the redhead chided with a flattering grin. His face suddenly dropped into a serious line. "Could you answer a question?" he asked.

"No," the blond answered with a glare, channeling his hatred and feeling of rejection towards the redhead with intensity.

Axel looked somewhat uncertain before he let the scathing glare roll off him. He laughed. "You just did," he pointed out, causing Roxas' glare to intensify before the blond simply rolled over, careful of his arm, effectively cutting off the conversation. "_C'mon_!" the redhead almost whined, "It's _just _a question!"

Roxas rolled back over, his face red and blotchy in places from the anger and frustration that he couldn't seem to keep at bay any longer. "Stop trying to be my friend!" he hissed. "I fucking hate you and I –"

Suddenly a stab of pain tore at his head; his left hand automatically began raveling fingers into his hair. "Ungh!"

_I love you – I always will…_

He gasped as the foreign words rang through his mind before the spell passed. His head dropped back onto his bed with a groan. Axel was hanging halfway off his bed, vivid green eyes staring at him with a wide, unsettling look. "… I… You…" he took in a deep, shuddering breath. "Are you okay?" he asked in an uncharacteristically suave, caring voice.

Roxas looked up at him with squinted eyes, rubbing his right temple tenderly. "What did you see?" he asked sharply, despite the receding pain he felt. He wasn't oblivious; he knew that the redhead could see things that others couldn't. "And don't lie to me," he snipped, before a single word could fall from the redhead's half open mouth.

Axel sat up, leaning over his knees to keep from hitting his head on the ceiling above him. "I'll make you a deal," he said, his posture and features becoming unemotional as usual. "I'll tell you _every _detail – if you promise answer a single question in return."

"Just one?" The blond set the man with a scrutinizing stare, his deep blue eyes filled with distrust and buried secrets. Secrets the redhead had devoted himself to finding out.

Axel nodded; holding eye contact, almost positive that if he stared at the Aven long enough, he'd begin swelling until he exploded with information. Unfortunately for Axel, that wasn't the case.

With a small suction sound, the doors to the sleeping quarters opened and a familiar mop of brunet hair popped in. "Roxas?" Roxas tilted his face up to the brunet, an unreadable look adorning his features. Sora smiled uneasily. "Hey, I wanted to see if you were alright." He came and sat on the edge of his bed, a thin hand hovering in the air before falling hopelessly into the brunet's lap. "How's your arm?" he asked pathetically.

The blond's face dropped as he laid back down, a strained look crossing his narrow features. How hard was it to say 'Fuck off'? He'd done it hundreds upon hundreds of times before. Why did it seem so difficult now?

"…Fine…" he grumbled instead, choosing to send the wall a distracted look.

The brunet's brows furrowed in worry before his features brightened with an inexcusable amount of enthusiasm. "Oh, I just remembered! Roxas, hey, get out of bed! I have to show you something!"

With a massive amount of urging from the brunet, and a deep pool of guilt damming in his chest, Roxas climbed out of bed, sulking after the bubbly brunet – taking a seat in the common area while Sora ran off towards the storage room. Having nothing better to do, Axel followed, crushed and frustrated at being _so close _to the little thread of information. He felt he was doomed to silence forever.

As they sat, Naminé's stoic face angled towards them. "You are uninjured?" she asked.

Roxas set her with a sardonic glare. "Yeah, sure." Maybe she really was blind – he really couldn't make up his mind about her.

Suddenly the brunet Aven burst into the room, clutching a red bag close to his chest. The smile that he wore on his face was bright enough to make anyone as blind as Naminé. "I got this for you," Sora blurted happily, thrusting the bag onto the tabletop in front of the blond scientist. "I saw it on Omnera and, well, here!"

Roxas stared at the bag, hesitantly reaching up to pull at bag's handles. "Just open it already!" Sora chided impatiently. With a sigh Roxas tipped the bag over, feeling around the inside to find a decent grip on whatever it was and sliding it out of the offensively colored bag.

His breath caught in his throat as a small robotic dog was revealed – still packaged nicely, metal shining gloriously. Almost immediately Roxas' mind sparked into a creative overdrive, his love for all that was electronic and mobile roaring back to life. Without his consent, the corners of his mouth jerked up; creating one of the most beautiful smiles he'd ever smiled in his entire time of existence. He tried to smother it, but only succeeded in making a strange, breathless, 'che' sound.

"Wow…" he muttered as he examined the small dog-droid with intense blue eyes. For a brief moment he thought he might cry. He'd never been given a gift before – but he was rather upset with himself for letting such a simple action affect him so much. He ran nimble fingers over the packaging. "SR-23 13 5 24…" Axel sent him a strange, wide eyed look as he paused in thought. "Wrex. Hn, interesting."

Sora was next to the blond in a heartbeat, nearly brimming with excitement. "Do you like it?" he gushed, his blue eyes filled with hope and anxiety.

Without thinking Roxas wrapped his uninjured arm around Sora's neck, pulling the brunet close in an awkward hug. "I'm sorry," he muttered softly, only for Sora's ears. "I promise to never doubt you again."

Not fully understanding the intent of Roxas' words, Sora simply smiled brightly, snuggling into Roxas' hair briefly before the blond pulled away, suddenly regaining his senses. "Thanks, Sora," he said with a sigh as he stood, his back rigid. He grasped the dog-droid to his chest and stalked back towards the kitchen, his eyes alight.

Axel gave Sora a strange look, his green eyes flashing a dim lime color. "Was it just me," he asked loudly, "Or was that the creepiest thing I've ever seen?"

Kairi forced her purple eyes from the door the blond Aven had exited through. "What was creepy?" At first her voice was hoarse, and she cleared her throat with an agitated look on her face.

The tall redhead squinted. "Roxas smiling. I expected to die before I saw that. It was weird."

"Nothing weird about it," Cloud grunted, folding his arms across his chest. "I've seen him smile before. The weird part is: there's nothing worth smiling about."

Immediately Sora burst from his seat. "_What_?" With a swoon he caught himself. "What do you mean there's nothing worth smiling about?" he huffed, crossing his arms in an overdramatic fashion. He scratched at the back of his head, ruffling the chestnut brown locks between thin fingers. "I mean, you know – there's always something worth smiling about." He side-stepped across the hull with a slight defiant look; he wrapped his arms around Riku and Kairi into one armed hugs. "We have friends. Doesn't that account for something?"

The silver haired thief rolled his gleaming teal eyes, a laughing light behind them. Cloud's face darkened. "Sometimes I wonder," he brooded aloud, "If friends, family… love – are they really worth the pain they bring?"

Axel rested his chin against his open palm, biting his pinky in thought – a small look of understanding crossing his features before his face drew up blank.

Sora seemed to tense as his smile froze in its place. Suddenly his arms went limp as he took them from his friends' shoulders. "Ah, well… C'mon guys – you all need to lighten up!" When no one responded, and the atmosphere seemed only to get terser, Riku reached up and yanked one of the many disheveled spikes on Sora's head. "Ow! Hey…" The brunet spun around to attempt a glare, but when he saw Riku's secretive smile play onto his pale lips he couldn't help but smile back and let out a few jolly chuckles.

Naminé frowned deeply as the ship suddenly lurched to the side before the flight path evened out once more. "Why are we not returning to the Galactic Highways?" she asked in a slightly pinched voice.

Cloud looked up from the floor, his crystalline eyes slightly narrow. "We're safe," he said gruffly, crossing his arms. "Xion wouldn't take this route if it was too dangerous – especially for Roxas." He mumbled the last part out with a sigh. He certainly had utmost faith in the androids abilities to pilot the ship, but sometimes he wondered just _what _was going on in that robots mechanical mind.

"So what do we do now?" Kairi asked in a smallish voice. She was used to being on large military freighters with plenty of orders and tasks to complete before they reached their rendezvous point with their payload.

That seemed to be the question on everyone's mind. Finally Axel spoke up. "We need a layout of this mansion, for one."

"And we're going to need some really good Intel on what to expect," Sora echoed soon after.

Naminé nodded sagely. "Yes. Before you land, you _must _register this ship – falsely, yes, but it must be done before the ship is noticed on Galactic Radars. We are most likely safe from these tracking radars as long as we are off the Galactic Highways." She tapped a pale finger on the table to a tune no one recognized.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Riku asked with an upset sneer. "Don't you have to register at a G.D. Office?"

The blonde pursed her lips in thought. "Perhaps that is so… But to continue on so; it's more dangerous than you can comprehend." She pressed two anxious fingers to the center of her metal visor. "No, it can be done. Who here hacked the Galactic Systems before?" She had a good feeling as to whom, but there was a part of her that didn't want to reveal all she knew just yet. They were a rather trustworthy group, and how they survived this far, pursued as they are, she couldn't fathom.

Sora scratched at his mess of brown locks. "I have no idea what she's talking about…"

"Roxas did," Cloud said heavily, pushing off the wall he had been leaning against. "When we landed on Gütral. I'll get him."

Riku sent Sora and Kairi a confused look, to which they both shrugged dumbly. Cloud watched the exchange before rolling his eyes. He made his way back to the dormitories, slightly surprised not to find the small blond Aven in his bed. There was a sudden spark noise to his right; muffled, but loud to the Genetic's ears. Another noise resounded from the door across from the bathroom – the hardly used storage room.

Uncertainly Cloud tapped on the gleaming metal surface before it slid open. Roxas sat cross-legged on the floor, a pair of goggles over his eyes as his hands, filled with thin, sparking tools, moved over what looked like parts and pieces of the robotic dog he'd received earlier. "I'm busy," the Aven snapped almost immediately.

Cloud frowned at the hostility, but otherwise shrugged off the biting words. "We need your help changing the ship's registration."

Roxas' head shot up, peering at the Genetic through blue tinted lenses, making his already blue eyes look like deep pits of sorrow. The Aven sighed and shut off his tools, scribbled a few notes using his data-pad feature on his Commune and set his things aside, burning their exact locations into his memory – in case someone dared touch them. "Alright…" He snatched up his Commune as he stood; following Cloud silently out into the common area.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked grumpily as he slouched into the open stool across from Axel. He held his Commune out in front of him purposefully, but when no one said anything he sent them an irritated glare. "There are things I'd rather be doing right now – _what do you need_?"

Riku was the first to speak up. "Uh… How do you think you'll break into Galactic networks with a _Commune_?" he asked, sounding both amused and upset.

Roxas sent the silver haired thief a nasty look. "The same way you'll suffocate when you're tossed out of the airlock." The small blond harrumphed at Axel's amused snort. "Look, there's hundreds of ways for me to do this." He looked over to Naminé. "You're the one who knows all about this, how do you want it done?"

Naminé cocked her head to the side, placing a white hand under her chin. "Make it as authentic as possible don't worry about –"

"What about face detection?" Axel blurted. Hell, his face was posted on every planet with a population greater than three. He wasn't about to take that kind of risk.

The tall redhead could almost _feel _the glare the blonde sent him through her mask. "Do not worry about that," she finished. "I can take care of it."

Roxas shrugged. Whatever it took to get them off his back. Is all he wanted was to go back to his project – he had so many _ideas_. Quickly he began working on hacking into the Galactic Systems, frowning when it took more effort to pierce their firewalls than normal – due to the fact that they were off the Galactic Highways and not on a regulatory planet, the Systems were treating his Commune IP as a virus or threat. He felt vaguely irritated, but happily challenged as well.

"I'm through," he announced at last, holding up the Commune to Cloud as some sort of verification. He started entering the basics about the ship and its occupants, making up some make and model – since there probably wasn't another like it in the Galaxy anyway; and false names for each member of the crew. He thought about naming Axel 'Dom Schidt', just to see how many people got it. "How many of us are in here?" he mumbled aloud, thinking quickly, "Eight," he said, answering his own question. "Okay, line up; need photos."

He held up his Commune and snapped a photo of Cloud while the Genetic was brooding, lost in his own thought. Cloud made a startled noise, but shrugged it off. Roxas grunted. "Hn. I didn't think you were photogenic to begin with… Sora, you're next."

One by one the occupants had their photo taken. Sora gave the camera a huge, cheesy smile, while neither Riku nor Kairi smiled – Roxas figured the redhead didn't due to simple military brainwashing. Upon his turn, Axel made a goofy face, sticking out his tongue and pulling down the corners of his eyes. "Blehhh…"

Roxas waited, semi-patient, for the redhead to stop, quirking a brow after almost an entire minute of waiting. "Okay, consider me curious – although I'm not. What the hell are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Axel asked, exasperated. He left his hands on his face. "I'm trying to keep my identity – without going overboard. People make retarded faces on their Ship ID all the time. Just take the damn photo."

Once the redhead was ready once more, Roxas snapped the photo with a small look of disdain hanging from his brow. "Whatever," he mumbled as he entered the data. "Next."

Next was Naminé. Everyone's eyes traveled both discreetly and indiscreetly towards the small blonde woman. "I don't think it's a good idea to get her photo." Axel said, interrupting the sudden quiet that had taken over the cabin. "Her visor is probably a dead give-away as to who she is. There aren't many people who walk around wearing sheet metal on their face – uh, not to be rude, or anything," he tacked on, feeling a sudden chill sweep down his spine as the blonde sent him a look.

Naminé shrugged her lean shoulders. "There is truth in what you say. There are very few who see as I do."

"Tell me about it," the tall redhead murmured softly to himself. Roxas sent him a strange look.

Without provocation, Naminé lifted her hands to her face, tracing the visor from the center, back towards her ears and well into her hairline. There was a quiet snap and she pulled the metal from her face, her eyes pressed closed as if she were in acute pain. "Please," she said softly, "be quick. This light… makes me dizzy."

Roxas, who had been completely enraptured at the sight of the blonde revealing her face, suddenly jumped back into attention. "Uh, right. Okay – on three. One, two… three."

The photo took with a small noise, and Naminé hurriedly replaced her visor with a relieved sound emitting from her pale, pink lips. Roxas returned his attention to his Commune, only to be stunned. At the last second, the blonde had opened her eyes –if partially – revealing two, hauntingly blue eyes, hidden under a layer of blonde bangs and two pale lids lined with thick lashes. She was looking off to the side, a small frown tugging at her lips; a crease in her brow, but Roxas thought – no matter what expression he tried to imagine her in, she reminded him of Xion.

Xion… he sighed, saving the photo into the Ship ID file. He remembered the first time she had her photo taken. The raven haired humanoid had had no idea what she was supposed to do…

"_Just smile," he had said with a tinge of impatience. Is all he had needed was a photo ID of the girl, so he could use her information on the stolen credit bits instead of his. Have your face pop up on too many bank accounts, and someone might start asking questions._

_Xion had sent him her normal misunderstanding blasé look. "What is… smile?"_

_The question had thrown him for a loop – one of many he would encounter from her. "You know… make a happy face – or whatever?" Alkatoj was still standing; a dusty city with mindful occupants. At the time he'd been more worried about the fact that they were all Genetics, and there he was, in the middle of the street, trying to explain what a smile was to a dense girl of maybe fifteen._

_He had been so frustrated with the girl that he had simply pushed up the sides of her mouth with his thumbs, forcing her into a tight-lipped smile._

He still had that picture of her; with the awkward smile on her lips while the rest of her face was blank. He remembered how lifelike her skin had felt – as if she had muscles and tissue underneath the softest, synthetic skin he'd ever felt in his entire lifetime. But her face had lacked warmth. She had been cool to the touch, and at the time he hadn't thought much of it. He had spent the next few minutes trying to calm the tingling sensation that danced across the pads of his thumbs.

With a bit of effort, he finished and uploaded the data. "Here." He passed the Commune on to the small blonde woman, trying to shake off the dreamy feelings that made his limbs and head feel heavy.

There was a heavy hand on shoulder, and Roxas looked up to see Cloud's concerned face. "Are you okay?" the tall Genetic asked, his crystalline eyes flashing briefly with worry, as his strong jaw set – waiting for a stinging or sarcastic reply. "You look sick."

"I'm…" He shook his head, feeling faint with the movement. "Ugh… okay…"

Cloud's hand moved from his shoulder, to his arm, hoisting him up without permission. "Did you eat? I swear – you're going to kill yourself." Roxas shrunk back from the Genetic reflexively, despite the care that exuded from the taller blond.

He disregarded the question, and instead attempted to snatch his arm back in vain. His head throbbed, and for a moment he thought he would collapse from an exertion he wasn't putting himself through. "Let me go!"

Suddenly it felt as if his head was being carved in two. Cloud's grip on his arm intensified as Roxas stumbled into the tall blond's chest. And in front of the entire crew their minds were engulfed.

_Her face was a broken expression of the love she couldn't feel. "It is okay," she whispered, "I will be reunited with my sister… after all these years." She reached out to him, but he couldn't move. He was trapped in a room of darkness, his fears, and uncertainties; all gnawing at the inside of his mind._

"_Don't… don't…" The end was coming – but he felt it was only the beginning. _

_She said something – her mouth moved in that disjointed language, but nothing came to his ears. She turned slowly – rain falling from sapphires – her back turned, and is all he could see was her walking away for an eternity._

"_Help me…" He touched his lips._

_A choice that would create or destroy a Galaxy was at his fingertips._

-o-

He woke feeling flushed and nauseous, bile rushing up from his stomach. He flung off his blankets and sat upright, swooning slightly, but having managed to chase off his nausea. "Ugh… what…?" Slowly he took in his surroundings. He sat in his bed, but didn't remember coming back to the dormitories to sleep.

Across from him lay Cloud, pale and sweating in his own bed. The Genetics blankets were strewn and tangled about his feet after an obvious bout of fitful sleep. Roxas rubbed his eyes as a few fleeting nonsense images penetrated his thought until he repressed it, instead focusing on the present.

On weak, wobbling legs, he stood, using the post of the triple beds to keep himself upright. There wasn't any reason for him to feel so drained – or at least none that he could think of. He made his way over to Cloud, plopping down beside the sleeping blond with a tired sigh. "Uh… wake up," he grumbled half-heartedly, working up the strength to shake the Genetic's shoulder.

Cloud was stripped out of his armor, boasting only a sweaty tank and his underwear. Roxas grimaced at the feel of the wet cloth beneath his hand, wiping his palm on his knee only to notice with a shock that he was dressed similarly to Cloud. "… my pants?" he mumbled to himself, standing up once again to search the room for his clothes.

The doors to the sleeping quarters slid open, revealing Kairi with a steaming bowl in each hand. The redhead stood a step into room, the doors closing ominously behind her as her face started to rose. "Uhm…" Roxas, finally noticing his lack of clothes, crawled back into his bed pathetically – wishing himself dead rather than suffer the embarrassment he was sure would come. "Sora made this for you guys… he said it'll help you feel better without making you nauseous."

She walked further into the room, her armored boots clicking loudly on the floor. For the first time he noticed how haggard she looked, despite the constant cheer she seemed to present. She handed him a bowl, and he was happy to smell the scent of warm broth. She set the other bowl next to Cloud, before tentatively taking a seat at the foot of Roxas' bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked as he took his first sip of the broth – it's warmth traveling through his limbs.

He gave a relaxed sigh, pulling his blankets about his waist further. "…Okay," he lied.

Kairi shook her wine-red hair sadly. "That's what you said before both you _and _Cloud passed out. So, I'm not really buying it." She crossed her arms over her armored chest, her fingers drumming absently along the side of her arm.

"You want the truth?" he snapped, his sickly demeanor ebbing away his patience steadily. Kairi nodded but refused to take her purple gaze off him for a moment. Not that he'd really thought he scared her in the first place. "I'm tired and my hands are shaky. I feel like I just ran twenty miles and I really want a shower. Otherwise, I'm perfectly _fine_."

The redheaded soldier simply sighed. "Alright, alright," she grimaced, waving around her hands in a placating manner. "I'll just leave you to it, then."

As she turned to leave, a sudden thought struck the blond with an unnatural force. "Kairi," he murmured, uncharacteristically soft. "What do you think of us? Of what we're doing?"

"Off the record?" she asked – her face a well guarded mask.

Roxas shrugged. "Uh, sure…" Not that he was sure what record she was even referring to.

"I think we're crazy," she said simply. "I know I don't know as much of the situation as most of you guys – but from what I've gathered, we're nuts. We're taking on a corrupt _Galactic _government, running from just about every form of authority in the known universe, and yet still trying to be some kind of semblance of _good. _Fucking nuts – pardon my language." Not that he cared about that. She paused, tapping her hip lightly in thought. "And yet, it feels… _right_; good, even. I don't know how to explain it… Like – even if there's just a little hope, a little good in this Galaxy, then it's worth protecting."

The small Aven picked at his blanket. "Is that what you think we're doing? Protecting?" he asked, feeling unsure of where the conversation had just turned.

"I most certainly do," she affirmed with a smile and a stiff nod. Her blatant, yet ignorant confidence made him feel more at ease with their current situation. Sometimes he felt that they were drifting, putting their lives at stake for no real reason at all other than to try and hide Xion's identity. Which, to his displeasure, would get them all killed, no matter where they went. "And," the redhead continued with a quirky grin, "We've made some good friends, have good food and no rules. It's like being a kid playing Pirates back on your home-world." She gave him a wink and left. But there was something solemn and sad in those purple eyes that made him incapable of taking that last bit seriously.

He contemplated the situation a bit longer before returning to his broth with a scowl. He looked across the room to see Cloud still sleeping fitfully, a pained look on his resting face. Feeling somewhat guilty – and a lack of appetite, the Aven plodded across the room and sat by Cloud's chest.

Careful not to make too many sudden movements or startle the tall Genetic into some sort of raging fit, Roxas attempted to shake the blond awake. After a few moments of gentle, yet impatient shaking, Roxas huffed and punched Cloud on the shoulder. "Wake up, Genetic ape," he hissed irritably.

Cloud groaned, rolling over in his sleep. "Hnn… _Tifa_… but – you're… gone." The blond squirmed further into his bed, tangling the blankets around his lower legs even more. Cloud made a distressed noise in the back of his throat, and suddenly Roxas felt it was imperative to wake the Genetic from his nightmare.

Quickly he set his bowl next to Cloud's on the ground and set himself to shaking the tall blond as harshly as he could with all of his strength. "Come on," he grumbled, beginning to grow panicked as the Genetic before him visibly paled further. "Stupid oaf!" he chided, "Always telling me not to get caught in nightmares. You hypocrite!"

Before Roxas could settle on a more rash method, the doors to the room slid open and Axel walked in, a strange look adorning his normally featureless face. "Wake him up," the small Aven nearly pleaded, but still managed to sound miffed and commanding. It must've been something in his voice, or the look on his face, but Axel soundlessly walked over, hovering behind Roxas without a single question or debate.

The redhead silently reached past Roxas, his barrel chest pressing against Roxas' sweaty back. The small blond wasn't sure what the strange shivering sensation was that ran up his spine, but he felt both chilled and hot at the same time. Expertly – as if he'd done this a hundred times, Axel pinched Cloud's nose shut before pressing a single finger into the underside of the man's Adams apple. There were a few brief moments of silence and then with a gasp Cloud convulsed; flailing slightly and almost knocking Roxas off the bed – if Axel hadn't caught him.

"What the _fuck_!" Cloud spat, his blue eyes unseeing as he grasped around blindly before moving to rub his sleepy eyes into focus. As the blond Genetic shivered, holding his head woefully, Axel looked down at Roxas with a look that the small blond translated as: _tell me everything later (or die)_. And with that the redheaded man left. Roxas felt confused by the odd behavior, but was grateful that the man was gone – the muscles in his back ached fiercely.

Finally the scientist turned his attention back to Cloud, who had taken to mumbling to himself. "Cloud?" Instinctively he reached out to touch the blond man's shoulder, but refrained and settled his hands into his lap. "Cloud," he snapped instead, "Shut the hell up."

Wide, frantic eyes shot to his face, a tremor of fear and uncertainty skimming their crystalline depths. "R-Roxas… I – I…"

"You were dreaming," the Aven finished for him, trying his best to sound gentle – like Sora. "A nightmare. You were getting pulled into it."

Cloud swallowed thickly. Roxas couldn't help but feel some form of sympathy for the Genetic. The last time the tall blond looked this tired and frightened were those few days after Alkatoj… "It seemed so _real_. I was there… I felt it… Tifa was…" He shook his head savagely. "Tifa's gone – it was a nightmare."

Awkwardly Roxas got up from Cloud's bed, disappearing into the storage room before reemerging with two sets of fresh clothes and Cloud's body armor dragging behind him. "Since you're alright," he said with a sniff, tossing the larger set of clothes at the Genetic, "Go take a shower. You smell rank – which I'm sure is common for your race."

A slow smile spread across Cloud's masculine face. "Glad to see you care," he said as he caught the clothes easily.

Roxas huffed indigently. "Yeah right. Don't get your hopes up."

The small Aven lay back in his bed as Cloud plodded into the bathroom, feathering his fingers through his blond tresses. Roxas felt a frown etch onto his face. He couldn't believe that Cloud, of all the people he knew, would fall into a nightmare trap. But that wasn't what worried him the most. _How _did Cloud even come across the trap in the first place?

He knew a few things about nightmares – researched them for awhile even, to try and figure out what was going on in his _own _head. Not that he could find anything pertinent; which is why he had always assumed he was a bit… off – and slightly homicidal at times. But he knew for a fact that there were only two universal explanations for nightmare traps in the Galaxy. One – someone is being controlled through their dreams, usually by a Hume; Two – Divine intervention. But what were the odds of that?

He looked down at his hands, slender fingers with smooth joints. He had such small hands, but the task ahead of him was so large. He bowed his head and prayed quietly to the Goddess. And for the first time in a very long time, he felt compelled to pray for others, instead of just himself.

-o-

It was as if he had seen the whole thing in slow motion. Roxas, as unlikeable as he was, looked obviously ill, when moments before, he could have sworn the Aven was perfectly fine. Riku only shook his head. When it came to Avens, nearly anything was possible – as a mysterious people they were. What really _had _surprised him was the fierce parental care the Genetic had for the blond Aven.

He really found Roxas too unlikeable, violate, and rude to even warrant an, "Are you okay?" especially from someone such as Cloud. He figured Roxas would bite the blond Genetic's head off, being as irate as he was, but Riku was pleasantly surprised to see the small Aven shrink back, even just slightly. And another piece of the puzzle that was Roxas fell onto the playing board.

Riku's teal eyes narrowed in thought. It was the sudden passion of needing to be released that brought his attention back to the small blond – finally he did something more predictable. That's what Riku liked: predictable. Patterns in behavior and mood made it impossibly easy to tell what someone was thinking; what they would do next; the best way to rob them blind the moment they even gave him an _inch_.

Suddenly the two blonds collapsed onto the floor, but his eyes weren't on them. They were concentrated on the tall redhead, who had flinched back at the sight as if a small explosion had just gone off in his face. Interesting…

"Roxas! Cloud!" Sora was on his feet before anyone could properly register what had happened. Riku moved to help his bubbly friend, rolling Cloud's armored body away from Roxas so Sora could examine them properly. As Riku watched him work, he wondered briefly how Sora became so able a doctor with no degree or anything of the sort. But as he looked upon the brunet's concentrated face, a small welling feeling in his stomach told him that maybe he'd be better off just not knowing.

Sora peeled back both of their eyes one last time before sighing and standing up. "They're both fine – just unconscious." He rubbed his chin with worry. "I hope it was just exhaustion… that tends to happen to both of them frequently…" The brunet blew out a long breath of air. "We need to get them to bed. C'mon, Riku, help me out. Thanks."

"I'm finished," Naminé suddenly announced – mildly surprised to find that her only audience were the two redhead members of the crew, as if she had not been present for the past few minutes. "The images have been distorted, and our registration is in place. All that remains is gathering intelligence."

Kairi took the proffered Commune, examining its obvious use. She could tell Roxas did his best to take extreme care of it. It was a bit cute.

"_Arrive Skosmos; seven days." _Xion said, her somewhat strained voice infiltrating throughout the ship.

Kairi sighed and stood, handing the Commune over to Axel. "He'll want this back. I'm going to see if Sora and Riku need some help."

Axel took the Commune with a wry look. "So why are you giving it to me?" he grumbled, setting the device in front of him with extreme caution. If Roxas found out _he _broke it, he'd probably have Xion kill him on the spot. He highly doubted the humanoid would disagree.

"You guys are friends, right?" she asked with a quirked brow. "Or at least somewhat – you sure do hang out a lot together."

Four parts upset and one part amused, Axel glared down at the smooth table. "Right…" He wasn't sure if Kairi was trying to rile him up or if she really was that oblivious. He thought she was smarter than that. He watched sulkily as she strutted off into the kitchen, leaving him alone with the rigid blonde. "So what'd you even do?" He decided to ask, peering at the illustrious screen with a quizzical stare.

"Distorted the images. Face detection and feature recognition can no longer validate the images." Her eyes seemed to pierce him for a deathly moment. "Squall Leonhart is a notorious bounty hunter. How have you managed to live this long?"

It was like a slap in the face, and Axel sat back with a grimace. That was a loaded question. "What, do you have such little faith in my abilities?"

Her slim shoulders lifted and fell with a ghostly grace. If he hadn't fought her before, he'd be likely to think she was easily broken – being so thin and seemingly submissive. "Perhaps as an escape artist, faith is boundless."

Axel's lime tinted eyes narrowed. "I didn't get where I am today by picking locks underwater." He pounded an angry fist on the table before him, making the Commune jump. His face went blank as he looked at the device before he tenderly picked it up and stuffed it in his pocket. Maybe he'd give it back to the small Aven and hopefully earn some brownie points. And if not, well, Roxas could just jump out the airlock.

-o-

Roxas emerged from the dormitory with a fresh change of clothes, a blue jacket with racer stripes down the arms pulled close around his body. The recreation area was lively as everyone gathered together, talking amongst themselves. Cloud and Sora were taking turns shuffling a new deck of cards. "Hey Roxas, wanna play a game of Three Spark?" Sora asked with his classic cheesy grin.

Roxas shook his head, instead taking the seat across from Axel and next to Naminé. Three Sparks wasn't a game that you could count cards to win – so he didn't feel like actually playing. Naminé's gaze seemed to tilt towards him as he sat; resting his warm face against the metal of the table, purposefully ignoring the imploring stare Axel gave him. "How long until we reach Skosmos?" he asked in a soft voice, feeling out of place and too relaxed from his warm shower to be overly irate.

"In a week," Axel replied with a bored yawn. He gave a miffed look to the wall. "I might as well catch up on my sleep, since we have some time." Without another word he stood, drifting off into the sleeping quarters.

The blond Aven frowned, pulling his head from the table and fiddling his fingers together. He reached into his pocket for his Commune only to scrape at lint. That's right; he'd given it to Naminé before he had his… episode. "Naminé do you still have my Commune?"

Naminé remained silent for a full minute, simply staring at the scientist through her metal mask. "I don't understand," she said at length. "You are insignificant – yet of great importance to the Lord of Dunedin. Why are you special?"

The conversation level in the hull dulled at the mention of Dunedin. Sora placed his cards flat on his table, turning his attention to their table. Suddenly the blond got up, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets. "I'm not," he bit out. "I'm just your average, grumpy Aven. Leave me the hell alone."

He left with a stomp to his walk. He didn't care that he'd just contradicted himself – no Aven was average – but that wasn't a topic he was willing to speak on; ever. Roxas grimaced, his fingers itching to work. He had a few days of leisure, he might as well work on Wrex while the ideas he had for it were still freshly composed in his mind.

As he walked through the sleeping quarters on his way to the storage room, a pillow fell from above him and slapped him over the head. He stopped, trying to gather his wits as the cottony material slid from his view. "The fuck?"

Axel leered down at him from his bed, lying on his back with one long leg propped up on his knee. "So, you're just going to ignore me, then?"

A stupid question in Roxas' opinion. "Why shouldn't I?" he quipped. Picking up the pillow and tearing at the loose strings in the corners in agitation.

It was as if that was the exact answer Axel wanted to hear as he rolled over on his bed, sending the small blond a wicked smile. "Maybe because I have something precious to you?" In his long fingered hand he held Roxas' Commune, waving it back and forth slightly.

Roxas nearly squealed in fright for the safety of his Commune. "Give me that, you filthy bastard!"

"Ah, no can't do that. You owe me an explanation." He tucked the Commune carefully back into the pocket of his slacks. Axel sure did dress well for a criminal, Roxas thought briefly before he simply crossed his arms and sat huffily on his bed. "So, I guess first things first. What was the deal with Muscles earlier?"

The air in the room became stifling as Roxas' cold glare became harsher. "He managed to fall into a nightmare trap," he seethed slowly. "I don't know how, I just know what I saw."

Axel chewed lightly on his lower lip in thought, his fingers tracing the hems of his sheets idly. "Look, Roxas, how much do you know about…"

The doors to the dormitory slid open, the familiar vacuum noise cutting Axel off as Kairi walked in, her armored feet clicking against the metal floor. She paused, her purple shaded eyes glancing between Axel and Roxas before she simply shrugged. "I'm headed to the shower, if you need to use the bathroom, now would be a good time."

Roxas scowled but shook his head, falling back onto his bed with a groan. "Okay." She sounded tired as she moved towards the bathroom, pulling up her hair as she went and undoing the first hatch in her armor.

The tall red head gave a sufferable sigh when the woman disappeared behind the bathroom doors. His thunder had been stolen – yet again, and he fished in his pocket for Roxas' Commune. "Here," he said, holding the device out tenderly. "Take it back. But promise me – that if we have a spare moment on Skosmos that you'll have a chat with me… in private," he added at Roxas' blank look.

"Do I look that stupid?" the Aven scowled, standing and snatching at his Commune, only to be thwarted by Axel.

"Okay, fine. Bring Xion with you if you want. I'm really fucking serious right now," Axel hissed venomously, his green eyes narrowing. "There are too many people on this ship that could really take what I know right now and run. Understand?"

Roxas' arms fell back to his sides, feeling sullen for what he believed to be no reason at all. "Why me?" he whispered, pulling at a lock of his hair in frustration. "Shouldn't you be, I don't know, informing Sora and Cloud? Why can't all of you people just _leave me alone_?"

He nearly screamed the last three words in vexation. What the hell did he do to deserve this? _He _was the one being pulled along. _He _was the one with the least use – with no real purpose. Why of all people, were these kinds of things falling to his shoulders?

Axel's face remained a blank slate as he proffered the Commune once more. "Just promise me."

Helplessly the blond's shoulders sagged. "Alright." He pulled his Commune gingerly from Axel's hand. With one last doleful glance he slipped into the storage room, settling himself cross-legged on the floor. Pieces of Wrex and tools were scattered before him, but the itch in his hands was fleeting.

He felt numb from emotional taxation and his mind drifted as his lithe fingers brushed against metal and wires. What could Axel possibly have to discuss with him that he couldn't tell Sora. He picked up his welder, sparks spitting from its mouth at the press of a button. Then again Sora knew so much more than he let on – perhaps it was Society sensitive?

But to allow Xion to come and no one else? He pressed the welder to a slab of titanium infused metal, cutting at a perfect, twenty-four degree angle. Perhaps because to Axel, Xion was as unimportant as he was? He sighed. Xion… He wished he could understand what was going on in her mind. There were times that he felt that she – no. She was a humanoid, she didn't feel. No matter what shadow cast strange lights on her face or the awkward sentences she tried to splurge.

The pieces of Wrex scattered about him suddenly brought forth an idea. He picked up Wrex's disassembled head and stared hard into the robotic eyes.

It had to be possible!

-o-

Sora yawned widely as he drew another card from the top of the deck, frowning at card in question. "I hope Kairi is okay," he said as he tossed a card into the center pile. Goddess his hand was horrible this round. "She really looked out of it."

Cloud shrugged, his muscles flexing under his clothes. Sora was somewhat glad that the Genetic felt comfortable enough to forgo his armor. "She probably just needs to sleep. Things haven't exactly been easy since she got here."

"Sleep is probably the last thing on that girl's mind," Riku mumbled as he picked up a fresh card, smiling slyly as he tossed down three. "Sparks."

The Genetic grimaced heavily as he drew his own. "Stop cheating." His crystalline blue eyes traveled across the convex interior of the hull, his gaze falling on Naminé, who simply sat at her own table, her masked face pointed at the table top. "I'm not too sure about this trip to Skosmos, though," he said lowly, flinging a card into the pile. "What do you think this'll get us, besides killed?"

"At the very least, a sense of direction," Sora murmured, he tossed down three cards of his own. "Sparks; _finally_."

"Well played… Too bad there's still another set." Sora huffed as Riku simply chuckled under his breath. "If anything, it'll give us something to do. I don't think I can sit here and play Sparks for a week."

Cloud tapped the table absently. "At least we're not playing and sitting on buckets. I've done that – really doesn't help time go by any faster." He sat back, throwing his entire hand onto the table. "There's a Sparks in there. I win." He snuffed his nose with a thumb. "Besides, there's nothing we can do until Roxas feels up to hacking grids and maps." His eyes clouded briefly. "Right now, I think we should just leave him be and let him tinker around with that dog Sora gave him."

Sora gaped, pausing in his duty to gather and shuffle the deck. "He took it _apart?_" he asked in a slightly strangled voice, although he really shouldn't have been surprised. Roxas had said he was a roboticist. "Err, well… I hope he puts it back together. It was cute."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Right. I'm bored of Three Sparks. Let's play Gambit." He smiled lethally at the suggestion. He was the _master _of Gambit.

"We need one more for that." Sora smiled, looking over to the abandoned blonde. "Hey Naminé, do you wanna play Gambit with us?"

Naminé's face tilted towards them for the first time in hours. "I cannot see the cards," she said evenly.

"Oh…" Sora rubbed his face in hand, feeling a little stupid.

"So, how _do _you see then?" Cloud asked loudly, hooking his fingers together behind his head, his bright eyes narrowing suspiciously. "It's impossible that you're completely blind."

The woman cocked her head slightly, regarding the question carefully. "I see energy," she answered at last. "It's bright. Electricity in machines, in muscles, it's everywhere. Not in cards." She pressed two fingers to the center of her visor. "I wear this to block out confusing images; such as color and UV rays. It allows me to view pure energy."

Riku leaned forward on the table. "So can you see this?" he asked, holding a hand up and making a rude gesture to Naminé. Sora slapped his hand down with a mortified look. "What?" he blustered, playing dumb at Sora's expression.

Even with the mask covering her face, Naminé's look seemed to sour. "Yes."

The three men returned to their cards as a cold chill swept through the hull. "Who's up for another round of Three Sparks," the brunet Aven asked uneasily. Cloud and Riku both gave a go ahead signal.

-o-

Xion watched the endless pit of space before her, the ship in a pocket of gravitational dead-zone. Sapphire eyes traced random, methodical patterns between the stars that lay before her. There was something about them – the little pinpricks of light against the dark – that felt… as if she'd seen them before. But when she searched her memory banks, she couldn't recall anything outstandingly similar.

Energy pulsed into her body from the cords, and she allowed her eyes to shut momentarily. The ship hummed rhythmically, the sound of energy becoming kinetic a soothing noise to her ear. It meant normalcy.

Fighting the gravitational pulls from planets was a strain on her overall system. It was… nice to have a break to recharge and prepare for more hours of constant energy discharge. Roxas, and others, were depending upon her ability. They were confident her, and she found it to be a strange sensation. One that she didn't want to lose – like she had…

Behind closed eyes a smiling face haunted her. Pale, pink lips with wispy black hair pulled into her winter hood. Flakes of snow dotted her face as she looked up into those smiling – dead – eyes.

"_Zoja…"_

-o-

Roxas dropped his screwdriver to press a palm to his right eye. "Augh… fucking headaches," he grumbled once the pain resided, picking up his tool once again. "All the damn time…"

-o-

**A/N: **So… I'm not dead, yet. :D

I – fer totally – will finish this fic. Don't give up on me yet! I love it, although I've been thinking about doing it with an original cast. But… I want to finish this first, and see where it goes (although I already know. ;P).

Thank you kindly for your patience! :D And also thanks to **Lucia-luce **again, for beta-ing this MoFo! Cheers!


	8. Chapter 8

**Kismet**

Roxas dropped his screwdriver to press a palm to his right eye. "Augh… fucking headaches," he grumbled once the pain resided, picking up his tool once again. "All the damn time…"

-o-

"_Four days, nine hours; reaching Skosmos."_

Roxas looked up at the ceiling when the announcement came. He had just finished setting the arrays for Wrex's new internal processors, but he knew he was still a long way from completion. Even though he had been working non-stop on his new creation, he was only an eighth finished; but he couldn't help the feelings of pride and accomplishment well up in his chest as he gazed at the scattered parts with sore and tired eyes.

His stomach growled and he reflexively pressed his hand onto his belly. It was time for a break, he decided with a small, inaudible sigh. He needed rest and food before continuing; else he might end up making a mistake – which had been a common occurrence with some of the newbies at Quanta – Robotics.

He stood on terse legs, the muscles sore from ill use. With nimble hands he arranged his tools in order of size before stretching briefly and heading out into the dormitories.

Surprisingly most of the beds were in use, when normally less than half of the crew slept at the same time. Roxas stepped along carefully, moving as quietly as he possibly could to make sure he didn't wake Sora, who was sleeping in his bottom bunk and Riku above him. He'd never seen Riku sleep before, as Doro were nocturnal by nature, but spending enough time drifting in space was enough to throw off anyone's sleep cycle.

There was a light snort from above him, and his head shot up in search for the noise, his intelligent blue eyes taking in the picture before him. Axel lay on his normal bed, one knee propped up with an arm draped over his eyes. Roxas hesitated for a moment before climbing up to take a closer look, using Cloud's bed as a step and carefully avoiding stirring the sleeping Kairi at his chest level.

It was so rare, he thought in slight awe as he pulled his Commune from his pocket, to see the tall redhead so relaxed, his mouth hanging open slightly as he slept peacefully. Steadily Roxas aimed the Commune at Axel, lining up the perfect shot.

"What're you doing?" The words were slurred from sleep and Roxas almost fell from his awkward post. Sure enough, Kairi's mess of wine red hair emerged from the bed near Roxas' chest level, her sleepy purple eyes peeping out from under red wisps.

Roxas forcefully tore his gaze away from the woken woman; she looked insanely small without her normal body armor donned – it was unnatural. Not even Cloud was that much smaller without his armor. "Nothing," he bit out, refocusing his attention back to the dozing Axel. "Just… getting a little revenge." His Commune clicked, capturing the moment that lay before him on screen. Quickly he stuffed the device back into the pocket of his jacket.

"Oh…" There was a stagnant pause as Roxas climbed back down to the floor. Kairi sat up – as much as she possibly could without hitting her head on the bed above her – and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "What're you doing?" she asked again, this time with a look of comprehension on her face.

Roxas shuffled his feet irritably, trying to think of the best way to say "fuck off" like he used to be able to do so easily. Suddenly Axel rolled over towards the center isle between the beds, taking in a deep waking breath. Roxas faltered; feeling a slowly familiar rush of nervousness. "I'm making breakfast," he muttered quickly. What if Axel woke up and Kairi opened her big mouth? She had a tendency to just _say things_. And he hadn't spoken to the tall redhead in days – which is how he preferred it. But that didn't mean he was in the state of mind to invoke a paid murderer's wrath. Not at the moment, anyway.

"Awesome! Do you need help? If ISGP training taught me anything, it's how to peel vegetables." She grinned, already much too peppy for just returning to consciousness.

The Aven sent a weary glance towards Axel's bed, somewhat relieved that the redhead was still breathing deeply. It could be a ploy, he thought with a touch of bitterness. "Uh, sure. Whatever." He left with a stiff shrug, leaving Kairi to stretch quickly and then scrounge the corners of the sleeping quarters for pieces of her armor that had been scattered during periods of turbulence.

Cloud stood in the kitchen, his crystalline blue eyes unfocused as he practically glared at the box of powdered breakfast mix. Anything that was dehydrated made for excellent emergency rations while drifting in the vacuum of space for long periods of time.

The blond Genetic snapped out of his thoughts at the machine noise of the door opening and closing. "Roxas…" he trailed off as if he'd forgotten what he was saying. "You're up early," he finished in a gruff voice after a long, confusing pause.

Roxas' shapely brows furrowed at Cloud's odd behavior, but he made no mention of it, it wasn't his problem to deal with – unless Cloud was to be the typical Genetic and lose his mind, then he'd have to toss him out the airlock. "It's not that early," he mumbled, quickly pulling out his Commune and checking Galactic time – it was pretty useless in space, but it was the only way to measure and record things when not within a time zone on a nearby inhabited planet. He hadn't slept in a few days, but he still felt aware enough to know that he was hungry, and that he definitely didn't want some watered down breakfast. "Please don't tell me you were thinking about making a "just add water" breakfast."

Cloud's face screwed up a bit as he turned his attention back to the box in his hands. "We only have four days to get ready for this," he said in a steady, grim voice – trying not to sound either anxious or angry. He put the box back up into the top cupboard.

Roxas frowned as he pulled open the refrigerator, relishing the feel of the small gust of chilled air that brushed against his tired face. "Yeah, I know. I'll get started on it after breakfast." He began rummaging through the food, pulling out everything that was within one month of its expiration date. It felt nice to be useful and needed, but sometimes he felt it was also an inconvenience as his thoughts drifted off towards his greatest project to date: Wrex.

But just the thought of their upcoming mission made the atmosphere in the ship tense with uncertainty. It may not be their most brilliant idea – breaking and entering just to try and snatch up a data pad or a memory chip… He really wasn't sure if information was _that _valuable. But he thought of Xion and the quest that was thrust upon her robotic shoulders – was it really fair to leave something like that to her? She may only be synthetic life, but… fuck; he hated the idea of ethics.

The doors to the dormitory slid open once more, revealing a very bright eyed and armored Kairi. She flexed her fingers, as if she were trying to get the tips into the very edges of her gloves. "Kairi Valentine, reporting for duty," she announced cheerfully, accompanied with a mock salute.

Roxas soured, the bubbly presence grating his thin, tired nerves. Even so he roughly placed a bowl of gathered fruits onto the counter. "Peel and dice these," he harrumphed.

Cloud watched absently as the two got to work. He felt somewhat out of place, but at the same time he felt proud of the gruff Aven. There was something about seeing Roxas branching out of his comfortable shell and socializing as if he were a normal, functioning being. Cloud understood in that moment why Tifa had wanted children so much. To see someone grow underneath your own nose – it was something purely indescribable. And here he was, witnessing something alone that he should've had partner for…

Roxas watched as Cloud's face darkened with bitterness before the Genetic turned and nearly fled into the commons. There was something definitely eating at the tall blond. Roxas hoped that it wouldn't jeopardize their upcoming mission, but an abstract voice in his head told him that wasn't the only thing he was worried about.

With a heavy sigh he reached up to the highest cupboard, barely managing to pry it open by the bottom corner. "Fuck," he cursed to himself. He really hated being so short, and the compounded flour he was looking for was on the highest shelf. "Cloud –" He wasn't above ordering other people around – which had basically been his job for three years at Quanta – Robotics. But then there was a sudden chill that swept down his spine, and when he turned around Kairi's form was white with sheer energy as her shape began to shift and grow.

Slowly color faded back into Kairi's body, revealing the man she had originally disguised herself as on Omnera. "I'll get it," she chirped in her normal, feminine voice, and not the deep one he had been expecting. Easily Kairi reached over him and pulled down the bag of flour, which Roxas took from her hands with an air of confusion. Not that he'd admit it…

"I… It slipped my mind that you were could shape shift," he admitted, feeling somewhat stupefied. Damn, that must be useful, too.

Kairi grinned. Her face was excessively handsome and smooth, bordering on feminine, but not quite. "Yeah, it's easy, although sometimes it can be draining."

She let the topic dangle like a pendant in the air, waiting patiently for Roxas to give in and take a swipe at it. Roxas had seen and met a few Morphs in his lifetime, but he'd never really thought about what it could be like to have abilities like that. Being Aven was about as normal as it came. "Draining?" he found himself repeating, his curiosity and natural thirst for knowledge getting the best of his usual composure.

"Yep." She pushed a strand of short, wine red hair behind her ear. It was almost like talking to Kairi when she was in the shape of a man, but at the same time it was like speaking to an entirely different person. "Depending on how drastic the change is, really." Her purple eyes smiled – it was nice to have someone different to talk to every once and a while. It sparked up new conversation and topics, keeping a busy life interesting. But she was accustomed to military ships with little personal time, so this had an odd feel to it. "Like, for instance, I can hold his form for about thirty six days, give or take." Then she closed her eyes, a crease of concentration developing between her brows. "And now I can hold it for around twenty," she said in a new, drastically deeper voice. "It shaves more and more time with every detail; like hair and skin color – sometimes even a change of clothes in a pinch!"

"You can change your clothes? I thought it was only physical aspects…" He frowned as he stirred the mixed batter in a bowl on the counter, the stovetop slowly warming up to temperature.

Kairi shrugged. "Well, yes and no. It's just an illusion, really – an extension of yourself… I can't explain. But if you're really good, it'll _feel _real, too. But there are others that can't even do it at all."

Roxas remained silent, carefully digesting the information as he always did when he learned something new and interesting. If he recalled correctly, when he had taken the credit bit from Kairi's pocket back on Omnera, the pocket had felt as real and as normal as any other pocket he'd ever pilfered; which told him that Kairi wasn't the nobody Galactic soldier that she made herself out to be.

"Huh…" He poured the batter into separate sections on the hot, flat pan. There was definitely something about Kairi that made him nervous, despite how bubbly and dull-witted she acted. They continued their work in silence, finishing the meal with a calm, humid cloud hanging over the room.

Roxas made himself a plate, slathering his, somewhat lopsided, pancakes with the berry sauce Kairi had made, while the redhead returned to the sleeping quarters to wake the others. He went into the commons, not surprised to see Cloud and Naminé sitting on opposite sides of the room in a tense silence. Naminé was reminiscent of a gargoyle, her thin shoulders hunched, her hands woven into a ball that she rested her head on, the plate of her mask pressing into her bony knuckles. With a shrug Roxas sat in front of Cloud, pulling out his Commune and neatly setting it on the table next to his plate.

"Eat if you're hungry," Roxas mumbled to the blond Genetic before stuffing a forkful of food in his mouth. His stomach relaxed from the feeling of warm food, and after the first bite, he already felt as if he'd been rejuvenated. With quirky movements of his nimble fingers, he began filing through different communication servers on his Commune with his free hand, his deep blue eyes skimming over the encryptions easily. It wasn't going to be as simple as he'd really like it to be, but he didn't want to risk getting back on the Galactic Highways just to get a regulatory signal.

Cloud stood slowly, his frown etched deep into his face. Quickly his eyes snapped over to Naminé and back. "Do you think we have the right idea, Roxas?" he asked softly, resting his hands on the table as he leaned forward.

Roxas' lips twitched downwards around his fork. "Do you think we have the _wrong _idea, Cloud?" he asked back. Was there even a right and a wrong in this situation? There was tautness in the muscles of Cloud's back as the Genetic closed his bright eyes. "Look." Roxas' eyes fell to the screen of his Commune, the luminescence of the device enrapturing his thoughts into a machine peace – he loved that feeling. "We're just going for a data cache. If we come up with nothing – then no harm done and you can stop worrying about it."

"And if we find something?" The question was clear cut and cold.

There wasn't an answer that Roxas could give the Genetic that would please either of them. The deeper they scrounged themselves into this mess, the more likely they were going to be killed, hunted, and hated by every dark corner of the Galaxy. But for some reason, there were times when that didn't bother him. When what Kairi had said to him back in the dormitories, about hope and protecting what good there was – sometimes he felt it was worth it. "We let Xion decide," he answered after a long pause.

Cloud sighed, long and hard. "You already know what she'll do." It was a firm statement. The Genetic stood, walking out to the kitchen.

Roxas' head dipped a fraction as he poured over his Commune, eating distracted bites. He both did and didn't know, but was there really any other choice? He was sure Cloud knew that too.

Soon members of the crew began filing into the commons with plates of food. Axel came in first, taking the seat across from Roxas with a glazed, sleepy look on his face. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the Commune. Roxas sent the redhead a narrow look, but the man wasn't paying attention, his green gaze lying over his untouched pancakes. Axel's face was unusually pale; his charcoal tattoos were more of a contrast on his long face than normal.

"I was just getting the schematics," he answered awkwardly, and almost immediately Riku sat next to him. For a fleeting moment he desperately wanted to ask Axel if he was okay. But he squashed the feeling and sent Riku a glare. "Sora's over there," he miffed, pointing to where the brunet Aven sat. Sora smiled lightly.

Riku quickly swallowed down some of his food. "Mhm, yeah, but you have schematics? Do you have synthetic vellum or anything to write on? We need exact measurements, precise locations of security devices and so on."

Sora frowned a small frown. "Oh, he's right, Roxas. I don't think we have any paper large enough to make a blueprint…"

Roxas sighed heavily, nearly cutting Sora off. "I have some," he grumped. He hated sharing his supplies for his projects, but he would have to consider this as an exception, and to remember to buy them their own damn roll of schematic paper. He set his Commune down and stomped off to the supply room.

Axel and Riku both stared at the illuminated device on the table. "I wouldn't touch that," Axel said as Riku reached curiously for it. "He'd probably suck your blood if he found out you even _thought_ about touching his Commune."

Sora laughed uncomfortably, his plate finished and the dishes pushed into the center of the table and out of the way for the time being. "He wouldn't do that," he mumbled, "He's just… really protective of it – I think it's because he completely re-modified it himself."

Riku's milky white face fell in thought. It made sense, a little. But to modify a Commune to the capacity that this one was at – and such an older model, too… It seemed impossible – or it would at least take an entire team to produce such results.

Suddenly a thick roll of fibrous paper slapped the table right next to Riku's hand, displacing the air with a loud snap. "_Don't touch that,_" Roxas seethed lowly, carefully retracting the roll of paper and flexing his right elbow with a pained look on his face. He'd just had the sling removed, and now he was going to give himself a new stress fracture at this rate. He tossed the roll to Axel, who caught it as if he knew it were coming, before quickly snatching up his Commune in his thin hands.

"I told you so," Axel chided quietly, rubbing at his eyes before blinking widely. "Damn, is it just me, or is it getting really bright in here?"

Cloud frowned. "It's just you." He cleared the table of dishes, handing them to a bouncing Sora before spreading the paper across the table and tearing the sheet off. "Roxas, we need those stats; if you want, you can just read them off to me…"

He had produced a thick, military-issued pen from his belt, popping off the cap and stuffing it into his pocket. Roxas glanced down at the information that scrolled through the blue-colored screen of his Commune. Goddess, why the hell did they have to make everything so damn _difficult_. "Uh… here." Slowly he placed the Commune into the center of the paper, effectively making it a paperweight. "This one's just a map of the interior and exterior structures… I'll pull up one of the defense grid when you're done…" He sighed, preparing to just lie down for a while. His head was really starting to pound. "Oh, and don't fucking break it!"

With those parting words he tramped off into the back, passing by Kairi and Sora doing dishes. She had gone back to her original shape – if that was really what she looked like. If he had the ability to change his looks, he knew that he'd at least be a foot taller and his eyes wouldn't be so large; he'd have a stronger set jaw and have a more muscular build… He grumbled to himself. There was no point in dwelling on things that couldn't be changed.

Roxas fell onto his bed, the smell of Sora still lingering on his pillow and sheets. It was odd, but he almost felt at home with the familiar smell in his nose. He let his eyes flutter closed, days of sleeplessness were catching up to him as his tired, dry eyes found the relief that they sought.

The door slid open followed by a clatter and Roxas jerked his eyes open, a scowl on his face. He couldn't sleep in this place if he tried, it seemed. Axel collapsed and practically lay on the floor, pressing his pale face onto the cold metal below, Sora worrying at his heel. "I'm fine," the redhead protested, "Just a little dizzy – okay? I didn't sleep much…"

Sora huffed, his cheeks puffing out slightly as he did so. "Yeah, right Axel. Come here and let me take a look at you! You look like you're half dead!"

"You're such a pessimist, Sora," Axel laughed out weakly, doing his best to keep his face from view of the brunet Aven. "I'm supposed to look half alive as opposed to half dead."

Roxas rolled over in the bed trying to block out the stupidity that seemed to surround him, but only managed to garner Sora's attention. "This is no time for jokes! You could be seriously ill – Roxas make him listen!"

"I can't make him anything," he said to the bunk above him, throwing his arm over his eyes to block out the light. "Except mad or confused – and that's not listening."

Axel snickered and was forced to choke down a cough. The brunet seemed at a loss before he simply shrugged and tackled Axel, almost too easily forcing the larger man to roll over so Sora could get a closer look at his face. "Stick out your tongue," Sora cooed, pinching Axel's cheeks as the redhead vainly tried to push him off. "I'm not hurting you in any way, so stop fussing… Actually I'm pretty sure what's wrong. You are a Synth, right?"

"Yes he is," Roxas answered. Axel shot him a dirty glare. "Are you done yet? I'd like to be able to take a nap, if you don't mind."

Sora sat back on Axel's stomach, making him wheeze. "Yeah. You're practically anemic, Axel – don't you know that you're supposed to have twice the iron intake as a Genetic, and I bet you haven't been getting enough protein – that's why I bought those health snack bars – they're full of protein!" The brunet sighed, standing up and stepping over Axel on his way to the storage room. "I'll have you know, I knew a lot of good people – Synths – that died because of that. Most organization rationings don't take that into account."

He left that hanging over Axel's head as he stumbled into the storage room. "Goddess, Roxas, do you ever _clean_ –"

The doors closed shut behind Sora and Roxas sat up to glare down at Axel. The redhead lay defeated on the floor, his arms resting above his head in a melodramatic fashion although his face was a blank mask. "So, you were going to let some iron deficiency kill you off? I bet that Leon guy would be pissed."

"Shut the fuck up," Axel growled. Sweat had begun to bead up at his temples and he swallowed thickly as if he were trying to keep himself from vomiting.

Roxas' mouth twitched up, ever so slightly in his devious mood. "What? Are you mad because I'm right? You've really let yourself go Axel…"

Axel frowned heavily. "If I could stand," he breathed slowly, "I'd wring your neck, you dirty Aven…"

Sora reemerged from the storage room, tusking at Roxas' cluttered, yet highly organized mess. "Roxas leave him alone for a while," he said as soon as the blond opened his mouth to make another snide comment. Roxas huffed and threw himself back onto his bed like a child. "Axel, c'mon, let's get you into a bed… you'll have to use Cloud's for now – stop fighting me!"

Roxas watched with some amusement as Sora wrestled the sickly redhead into Cloud's bed. "I'll be right back, I'm getting some water. Don't. Move." Axel scowled at the finger Sora wagged at him before simply going limp. His breathing was quick and shallow, but he still managed to look impassive. "Okay, you need to take these pills now, and then two more in ten hours. Eat three of these bars and drink six glasses of water and you should be feeling like a new person in the morning. Do you understand?"

Axel nodded; his jaw tight as he held out a hand to take the pills from Sora. It was almost distressing seeing how difficult it was for Axel to sit up and swallow the supplements. Sora frowned and shook his head. "Why did you let it get so bad?" he asked in a tiny voice to which he received no reply. "Hey Roxas, can you do me a favor?"

"No."

"Make sure he does what I told him. They need me out there to help plan – I'll be back to check up on him. Thanks." With total disregard of Roxas' protest Sora left, looking more tired than he ought to. Not that Roxas really minded, but he was more surprised that Sora knew him well enough to not take him seriously.

Roxas sat up and crossed his arms, his eyes half lidded with sleep as he stared at his companion for the day. "You know," he mumbled, hardly over a whisper, "If you don't do as he asks, you'll never get him to squeal about whatever it is you've been trying to milk from him."

Axel's eyes flicked opened and sharpened as his gaze fell onto Roxas. "Don't look so surprised." He leaned back against the wall, nuzzling his chin into his chest. Goddess he was so tired – but his mouth wouldn't stop moving. "I may be bad with people… but I wouldn't have gotten to the top at Quanta – Robotics if I couldn't judge a person's motivations and goals." He yawned, smothering it with a hand. "Anyway, you're a lot easier to talk to when you're half alive. Maybe it's because you're not trying to kill me while screaming out bullshit?"

There was a long pause before Axel slowly lifted a hand, flipping Roxas the bird with a small scowl.

Roxas snorted in amusement. The quiet hum of the ship was soothing as his eyes drooped lower and lower before he finally slipped into sleep.

-o-

_Hands enclosed in latex rubbed at his bare back, his face, his stomach. Something wet and cold touched his arm before drawing away, a syringe held before his face._

"_Prepare to grant me Destiny, fool. This world and all others _will be mine._"_

_Terror seized him and he gasped. He choked around a tube, instruments, wires and tools – all buzzing and drilling and sawing, lay on tables around him. "She wakes…" There's a chronic bleeping in tune with his escalation of fear._

_His vision faded as a cloth is pressed over his nose. The pain – he feels none of it._

-o-

"…Roxas… Roxas, hey, wake up!"

Roxas stirred slowly, rubbing his head in hopes to alleviate the small ache that had developed near his temples. "Ugh… what?" he snipped, straightening up when Sora gave him a frown.

"Did you know you talk in your sleep?" the brunet asked with a worried crease trekking his forehead. It really didn't suit him, but it seemed only to grow with every passing day.

The blond shrugged, wincing at the stiffness in his back. What possessed him to fall asleep against the wall? "So I've been told." He blinked, repressing thoughts and after images instinctively. "Need me for something?"

Sora smiled in relief. "You're so weird. Anyway, care to hack us some security grids?" He pressed Roxas' Commune into the blond's hand. "Cloud says thanks – well not really, but he means it. You know," he laughed, taking a seat next to his fellow Aven. "He's had to have done this hundreds of times; you should see how neat and detailed the blueprints are so far. It's cool, but sad at the same time."

Roxas paused in his search, his fingers hovering slightly over the glowing Commune screen. "I suppose it is," he muttered darkly. It truly was saddening to think that someone like Cloud – despite having the ill luck of being a Genetic – someone who strove for normalcy, could properly execute and plan something so sinister… even if the intent was in good faith. It just seemed… wrong, somehow.

Sora sighed, letting his head drop back and rest against the wall behind him. "Well… At least Axel's finished one of those bars. They're not the best when it comes to taste, but it's better than nothing." His blue eyes seemed melancholy as he glanced over their surrounds. "I'll get him another glass of water." Sora squirmed off the bed, scooping up the cup from the floor and stopping in the doorway. "Hey Roxas, it's like we're one big family, isn't it?"

Before the blond could give a snarky reply, Sora slipped from the room, letting the comment seep in. "Huh…" Maybe they really were… He returned his focus back towards his Commune, frowning deeply as he resumed his search. "This isn't good…"

Sora reentered the room with a quirk of his brow, setting a fresh glass of water on the floor next to Axel's sleeping form. "What's with that face?" he asked curiously, crawling back onto the bed with Roxas.

"The only layout I can find is three years old… There's nothing more recent than that; not even a break-in report." He bit his lower lip in frustration, moving to rub his chin as he thought of other possibilities. "Let's just hope they haven't changed anything – although it's unlikely that there wouldn't be any record of it – no payment records or anything… it's completely clean."

They both contemplated the situation until Sora held his hand out for the Commune. "I'll tell Cloud what you found. If this is the best information we can get, well, it's better than walking in blind. Trust me, it always is."

Roxas reluctantly relinquished his Commune to Sora. "There's just no _sure _way to know unless you check from the system mainframe itself… or unless you can get into it… and that's not possible from here – we'd have to be within Skosmos regulatory systems first."

Sora paused on his way out, ruffling his thick brown hair with an anxious hand. "… That's very true. Thanks Roxas. We should be done mapping this out in a little while."

Nervous bile rose up into his throat as the doors shut behind Sora. There was something wrong, but he couldn't put a finger on it. And it was feelings like those that he hated most. The feeling of knowing but not knowing at the same time – there was nothing more frustrating.

Axel stirred in Cloud's bed, pushing the multiple blankets from himself with an exasperated sigh. Slowly and with effort, he propped himself up on an elbow and reached for his cup. Roxas remained silent as the redhead drank deeply, finishing the glass with a contented sigh.

It was as if his body was moving on its own accord – leaving his mind behind as he got up from his bed, his back popping in protest from sitting in an awkward position for too long. He took the empty glass from Axel's hands. Axel gave him a sleepy, bewildered look as he did. "Sora's making me help you out," he explained with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Eat another one of those bars and I'll be back with more water."

Green eyes hesitantly looked down onto the two remaining protein bars on the ground. "Yeah… thanks."

Roxas' stomach seemed to jump into his chest uncomfortably, yet warmly, at the words. "Uh…" He swallowed. Now wasn't the best time to start acting stupid. Soon they were going to start making a proper plan and it would be all too soon before they had to carry them out. "Don't get used to it," he grumbled instead.

Quickly he rushed out into the kitchen, holding the glass under the faucet of the sink with a trembling hand. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he breathed to himself as he gradually recouped from what felt like a traumatic experience. Tinny water splashed into the glass and he topped it off with a scowl. "I wonder what they're planning…" he wondered as he glanced at the door to the common room. He frowned and turned back towards the dormitories. He'd find out soon enough, whether he wanted to or not.

Axel took back the cup gratefully, taking a few generous gulps to wash down the bite of protein bar in his mouth. "Are you feeling better?" Roxas ventured somewhat meekly, returning to the safety of his bed.

"What do you care?" the redhead bit back, stuffing another bite into his mouth with a grimace.

Roxas soured, crossing his arms over his narrow chest. "I don't," he fumed. If he had been feeling charitable earlier, he certainly wasn't anymore. "It's only that we'll be on Skosmos in a few days, and I don't want to have you jeopardize our mission by being sick." He picked at the sheets of his thin mattress irritably. At least the dust was but a distant memory.

Axel watched the sullen display with a tinge of amusement. "Hey," he said shortly, breaking the silence with a slight rasp. Damn, he was going to need more water, but instead he simply tried clearing his throat. "What're they doing out there?"

"I don't know," Roxas answered honestly. He felt too tired and worn to make something up or even argue. "My guess is that they're finishing up the blueprints and then they're going to start formulating a plan."

The tall redhead bit his pinky, something weighing heavily on his mind. "Could you help me up? I want in on that and I'm sick and tired of just sleeping."

A small wave of turbulence rocked the ship, and Roxas was sorely reminded of their immediate danger. "Do I _look _like your slave?"

With a roll of toxically green eyes, Axel swung his feet around to the floor. "You need to stop being so pissy," he advised, trying to find a good grip on the bed above him to use to hoist himself up.

"Same to you," Roxas grumbled, and they scowled at each other from across the room. But the agitated moment was short-lived as the doors to the room slid open.

Sora and Riku stood side by side, suddenly hushing in the middle of a heated whispering conversation. "Roxas, Axel, you're both awake!"

The blond Aven shrugged. "Can't sleep… What's going on, anyway?" Immediately he held his hand out when he spotted his Commune in Sora's hands. He felt incomplete without it – almost like it was an essential part of him.

"We've got a general plan," Sora explained slowly as he handed the device over to the wanting scientist, "But we need everyone together so we can make sure we find the best ways and that we have everything right the first time – there's no second chances… Axel are you feeling any better?"

Axel nodded wearily. "Yeah. I was just getting up to help out, but Roxas was busy being a dick." He ignored the slightly offended scowl that Sora sent him and held out an arm. "A little help? Yeah?"

Riku grunted in annoyance, but pulled Axel from his bed, supporting the sagging redhead with a shoulder. "C'mon, Roxas," Sora urged, picking up Axel's glass before following Riku out of the room.

Roxas waited for a few moments in the new silence, mentally gathering himself. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like what was going to be said and done today. But then again, when did he like anything, and when did it ever matter? He forced himself to get up and head out into the commons, taking the available seat next to Cloud, the finished schematic spread across the table top.

"It's not going to be easy," Cloud grumbled to himself as his crystalline eyes poured over the diligent markings on the paper; his hand came up and scratched at the small blond stubble on his chin. "The security mainframe is on the second floor – here." He pressed a calloused finger on the paper.

Axel frowned. "That's too open. There's bound to be a lot of household traffic there." Riku nodded in agreement, pulling his fingers through his thin, silvery hair.

Kairi stepped up and tapped a spot on the paper. "There's an alternative; here. An emergency security terminal. The only problem is that it's on the top floor in what looks like a raised vent of some kind…"

"We have a better chance there than in the open like that." Cloud bit his lower lip harshly. "But the problem with that is…"

Riku stared at his gloved nails in mock boredom, pretending to buff them on his tan vest. "Is getting Roxas there to disable the security failsafe."

Roxas' head snapped up at the suggestion. "_Me_?" he objected, pointing at himself as if that were the only reason they needed to change their minds. How, by the Goddess, did they expect _him _to get into a third-floor vent without being caught and killed or anything else? He'd been captured before, and he downright _refused _to have it happen again.

The room was hollow with the silence of the crew members. Roxas' blue eyes fell onto the face of every individual, almost begging for them to reconsider. Finally Sora sighed, breaking the tension and his gaze from Roxas. "There's no one else with the knowhow… Riku's going to have to go for the data cache – he knows what to look for. For the rest of us… it's a matter of timing and keeping everyone's attention away from the mansion."

"You… you're joking…" Cloud's chin dropped slightly, refusing to look Roxas in the eye. But he was just a tag-along! He wasn't special or important in any way – why were they doing this to him?

Kairi set an armored hand on his shoulder, trying her best to be comforting to the shell-shocked Aven. "Well, we wouldn't send you in alone, you know! The vent is pretty high up, so Axel needs to go with you. He's the only one tall enough to get you up in there."

"_What_!" the blond exploded. "I absolutely _refuse _to be alone with this filthy, murdering –"

"Roxas, we're passed that," Sora cut in, his voice was quiet and soft, but it cut Roxas deep. "We're doing what we have to, right? Why are you so against it?"

Roxas slowly reigned himself in, smothering his temper with a sheer force of will. "I'm not. Whatever. I'll be a tool for your disposal." He pushed Kairi away from him and stalked up towards the cockpit, sending one last scalding glare at the gathered crew before stomping into the encompassing darkness.

Silence swallowed those that remained behind. Sora hiccupped, a tear escaping his eye before he buried his face in his hands. The words had stung, but he knew that if Roxas couldn't help them, then they'd be left for dead trying to break into a place that was so highly guarded. It would even prove a challenge for Riku alone, and he couldn't do that to his friend. "I w-wish he'd just _understand_," he stuttered out.

"He does," Kairi said soothingly, rubbing gentle circles on Sora's back. "Haven't you noticed? He's always worried about if we're doing the right thing – but he doesn't know how to express himself." She smiled, her pink lips curving upwards further as Sora gave her an imploring look. Riku groaned in irritation.

"How do you know…?" The sheer desperation in Sora's voice was almost tangible. He was scared for his fellow Aven. It was natural – like fearing for a brother or sister.

Kairi's smile faltered slightly. "… I knew someone like him once. They had the best intentions – but always said one thing and meant another."

Riku stood, his exotic teal eyes darkening angrily. "Who cares?" he snapped. "This won't work if he doesn't fucking disarm the security grids!"

"He'll do it," Cloud interrupted gruffly. His muscular arms crossed across his chest as he looked back at the closed door to the cockpit. "Roxas wouldn't leave us hanging. He's not the type." He blinked, pulling his eyes back to the crew. "He didn't leave me on Alkatoj, when he easily could've told Xion to leave. He pulled Sora from Gütral instead of saving himself. …He's just not the type."

The silver haired thief only shrugged. "I don't care. Vouch for him all you want, but nothing's going to convince me until that little rat comes out here and says he's going to do it!" He slammed his fist onto the titanium infused table, ending the debate decisively. "He has two days."

-o-

Xion stood in the center of the room, frozen to her spot like ice, and he was completely fine with it. He sat in the corner, his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin resting on the tops of his knees. Roxas simply stared, transfixed at the hundreds of thousands of glittering stars that hung so peacefully in space. Each of those stars had a solar system that filled a whole new galaxy – one that may even be similar to theirs.

He knew that there had been debates about life existing beyond their own Galaxy, but after the race of Sloth was found on Morass… anything could be possible, if not with a little forward thinking. Maybe there was someone out there like him, but the chances of that were _really _astronomical.

"Roxas… why are you here?" He startled, refocusing his eyes. He hadn't noticed Xion turn around and face him. She'd been still for the past couple of hours. She waved to the massive window before them. "No pull now. Not sure how long."

He grimaced, interlocking his fingers together as he sat back some, no longer hunched over himself. "I just wanted to see the stars," he lied, letting his gaze travel back to the interstellar view.

Xion's dark blue eyes slowly roved over the stars. "Yes. Very… familiar. You're looking for familiar?"

His face scrunched in confusion and Xion shrugged. He had no idea what she was talking about. With a few hesitant steps, Xion moved to stand before him, bending down a little; her hands resting between her knees as she examined his face with her blank stare. "What're you looking at?" he miffed.

She simply continued to stare before suddenly she sat, taking note of his position and copying it. "There." She clasped her hands around her knees, minding the cords that protruded from different parts of her body. "Now we're on same level. Now we talk."

"I… I don't know what the hell you're talking about," he stuttered, slightly worried at the humanoid's display. It wasn't normal – or even characteristic of her. But lately, he wasn't sure if he even knew what he could expect from the raven haired girl, or if he was supposed to expect anything at all.

Xion motioned to the star-scape. "You wanted see stars. Why?"

The ship hummed tranquilly around them. Roxas worried on the inside of his cheek. "And why not?" he asked irritably in return.

"Never wanted see before. Why now?"

Her eyes seemed to bore holes into his forehead as he stayed silent. Something in him wanted to just spew out every feeling he'd ever felt in his entire time of existence, but he only sighed, wishing that he didn't feel at all. "You realize that this mission you have to fulfill… it puts us all in danger, Xion? Even me; you know that, right?"

"I'll protect Roxas," she said decidedly.

He couldn't help the small quirk of his mouth at that, but it was gone within a moment. "No, you can't – not this time. You can't always protect, Xion… Sometimes it's just not possible." Xion made no indication that the fact bothered her and he sighed in defeat. Sometimes he was so _positive _that she could feel emotion, but whenever he tried to entice it, she wouldn't respond how he hoped she would. "Either way… I'm going to be in a dangerous position when we get to Skosmos, Xion. We have to. I just… I… don't want you to worry, okay?"

Her eyes met his for a few agonizing seconds. "Understood," she said stiffly and stood, returning to her spot in the center of the room.

It was as if he lost an important battle with himself and he sank down onto the hard, metal floor. His chest felt crushed in an abstract sense and he wrapped his arms around his ribs – whether he was trying to comfort himself or not, he wasn't sure. But as small, hot tears ran down the sides of his face he submitted himself to fate.

-o-

"I'll do it."

Riku looked up from his steaming bowl of noodles with narrowed eyes. "Oh really now?" he said dubiously. Next to him Sora elbowed him in the ribs.

"Really, Roxas? You'll do it?" the brunet bubbled, standing up with wide grin on his face. Roxas nodded numbly. He wasn't sure why he decided to do it, but he didn't see a way around it either. "Goddess, I'm so relieved!" Sora threw an arm dramatically over his face. "You've been in there with Xion for over a day!" He gasped in stark realization. "You must be _starving_! Hurry sit! I'll get you a bowl of soup!"

Sora steered Roxas into the empty seat across from Naminé. Roxas let his head drop onto the cool metal of the table, rolling his aching forehead onto the coolest spots. "Are you ill?" Roxas peered up at the blonde woman. It seemed she hadn't moved from her post in days. An empty bowl sat in front of her as she leaned towards him slightly, her mask catching the artificial lighting of the ship.

He grimaced and returned his eyes to the blue-gray table top. "I'm fine," he murmured as Sora stumbled back into the room, sliding a bowl with warm tendrils rising from the broth inside. He took his spoon into his hand and sipped the soup carefully. "Actually," he grumbled once a thought struck him, "If I'm doing this, how's A—"

"How am I?" Axel suddenly blurted, the door to the kitchen barely opened before he slipped through, balancing a bowl of soup in one hand as he gracefully took the seat next to Roxas, nudging the blond with an elbow. "I didn't know you cared!"

The sarcasm that Axel exuded was enough to make the blond Aven roll his blue eyes and wish he'd never said anything to start with. "Whatever."

The redhead grinned. He took a long sip from the bowl, ignoring his spoon altogether before waving at Sora. "So, since he's asking about me, I take it he's decided to go through with the whole thing?"

"Yeah, so we can just stick with the original plan, okay?" Sora made a strange face at Riku, who simply smiled and ruffled the brunet's hair affectionately. Roxas snorted at the display.

Axel hummed in thought. "Well, I'm actually rather surprised. I mean I really didn't think you'd step up to the plate – so to speak. Thought you'd rather hide behind Xion –"

"If you want me to accidently spill my hot soup down your pants, keep talking." Roxas glared at his soup, ignoring the chuckling laugh next to him.

"_Reach Skosmos in twenty nine hours," _Xion announced, sounding tense.

Sora frowned at the announcement. "It's almost time… Roxas, come here, we should probably go over the plan with you a few times before we get there…"

-o-

Xion stared impassively up at the purple hazed clouds that hung low over Skosmos. Small fingers of electricity stretched from cloud to cloud, lighting up the sky in little flashes. "No stars here," she commented off handedly, making half the crew give her strange glances. "Roxas, where we go now?"

The small scientist sighed, pulling up a grocery list he had made a few hours prior to landing. "We're going shopping – it's not time yet. Cloud you too."

Sora hooked an arm through both Kairi's and Riku's. "Remember, we all need to meet up at nineteen-hundred local time. And make sure to make it look like we're just on a supply run on our way to Haelo – alright?" Cloud gave them an absent thumb up before following Roxas and Xion into the dreary city. "C'mon guys, we've got a few hours to waste," he chattered happily, pulling his two friends down a street with cracked and crumbling pavement.

Axel stood alone in the docking bay, wishing he could've lucked out like Naminé and stay behind to "watch" the ship. What he really wanted was his moment alone with Roxas – he thought he was literally going to burst if he couldn't say what had been on his mind this past week. But he'd have his time soon enough… even if it wasn't the most orthodox of times. He peered down into the dark city, grimacing at the sight. Hopefully this piss town had a decent bar…

-o-

Roxas' heart rate seemed to double each time they left a store with more and more supplies. Most of the people on Skosmos, he'd found out, were utterly poor with the occasional overly rich individual. It was odd how there didn't seem to be any middle class folk – which were who he preferred to pickpocket. Not enough money to get noticed, but enough to get by on.

"I hate this place," he grumbled as they passed the mouth of a dark alley. He slid in between Xion and Cloud, much like a frightened child would hide between his parents. "It feels dirty and… corrupt."

Cloud frowned, his crystalline eyes scanning their path ahead carefully. "Yeah… There's definitely something wrong with Skosmos… I thought Gütral was bad, but this…" He shivered involuntarily.

Xion suddenly stopped, stepping around the cart of supplies she wheeled behind her. "Who comes?" she called out, her sapphire eyes darkening in the poor light of the planet, making them look even more lifeless than normal.

A man stumbled out from a corner pooled with shadows, almost as if he'd been pushed. Quickly he righted himself, feathering the messy blond hair atop his head. "U-uuuhh… hi…" he sputtered dumbly. He seemed nothing more than an average person to Roxas, albeit dirty.

Roxas rolled his eyes and grabbed the handle to the trolley, pulling it down the street with effort. Goddess, he forgot that Xion had mechanical strength. "Let's go, we don't have time for this."

Cloud began to follow him, but the man startled nervously, "W-wait!" He took a step towards them, only to have his path blocked by Xion. The man swallowed thickly. "U-uhm, let me play a song for you? All tips go to feeding the poor…" He pointed to himself with a sheepish grin. "Please?"

"We don't have ti—"

Xion cut off Cloud's protest with a wave of her hand. "I would like hearing song," she said with an interested cock of her head.

The man blinked in what appeared to be disbelief before a massive grin that rivaled Sora's broke out across his face. "Oh, awesome!" With practiced hands he pulled a large black case from his back. He set it on the ground and opened it, lifting out an ornately decorated, blue sitar.

As he began to pluck out the first strings of the song, Xion waved Roxas over to her and he found himself obeying timidly. The man had an amazing voice, soft and harmonious with the gentle melodies he brought forth from his instrument. He sang a simple lullaby that Roxas couldn't help feel was familiar. In the middle of the song he played the same rift a few times, his brows drawing together in brief concentration. "You two boyfriend and girlfriend, I take it?" he asked, opening one icy blue eye to examine them.

Roxas felt his face explode with embarrassment. "N-no!" he blurted angrily. How dare he even suggest something so… preposterously outrageous!

The man smirked, closing his eyes once more to finish the song and take a bow. "Thank you, thank you!" Nervously he fiddled with the neck of his sitar as Roxas began to dig through his pocket with a mortified pout.

Xion's mouth tipped upwards slightly, bringing warmth to her normally stoic face. "That was nice," she murmured. Quickly she turned and started to dig through their boxes of recently bought supplies and pulled out a bag of dehydrated meat. "Thank you," she said, just as Roxas had taught her what seemed forever ago. She handed the bag to the musician, a strange childish look on her face before it disappeared.

"Ooooh! Jerky!" The man's eyes lit up joyously. "Oh, thank you kind lady!" He gave Xion a dramatic bow.

Roxas checked the time on his Commune, nibbling nervously on his lower lip. "We really need to get going…"

Suddenly Xion seemed distressed. "But… he has no food… we cannot leave…" Her jaw tightened and she struggled for words, as if she wasn't sure how to express herself.

Cloud placed a hand on her head, looking both frightened and curious at her strange behavior. "Actually, I have an idea. I'll have a three course meal made for you if can help me out for a few hours…?"

"Demyx," the man said with a lopsided grin. "My name's Demyx and I'll do anything you need for a cooked meal!"

-o-

Roxas couldn't stop the shaking of his hands as the hour of action approached. They had all gathered in one of the city's less busy squares. Roxas kicked away a bag that had blown into his leg and managed to wrap around his foot. Demyx nervously fingered the neck of sitar.

"So uhm, what did you need me to do again?" he asked, pausing in his ministrations to glance over the gathered crew. They were quite the spectacle. It wasn't often they got visitors on Skosmos, and even less so one that were so … diverse.

Cloud hooked a finger around one of his sword hilts, a metallic clang emanating from them ominously. "Just throw us a concert, that's all."

Riku frowned. "So this is your 'grand plan', Cloud?" He rolled his bright eyes. "We've got better things to do – c'mon Axel, Roxas."

The scientist nodded, his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth with an anxious fear. He meekly followed after Axel and Riku, who walked tall and bold, as if it were just a normal day. He wished for a moment he could be that brave, but merely scowled at himself. They walked through dark, twisting alleys that Riku had memorized – his feet barely even made noise as they went along.

Soon the silver haired thief ducked behind a grimy dumpster, a massive, careening mansion obstructing the view of the sky before them. "That's it right there," he whispered, giving the building a once over before turning to his two companions. "It's the first floor window on the opposite side that has no triggers or camera vantage, so it might be guarded more carefully than others."

"Right." Axel traced a finger almost lovingly down the narrow barrel of his gun. "How long do we have until Kairi and Xion come to trip the triggers in the lawn?"

Riku pulled up a black sleeve, checking a small, skintight wristwatch. "In exactly five minutes. In eight minutes, Cloud should start the town distraction – Sora should be waiting out front by then. And we need to be out of there in ten." He sent Roxas a narrow look. "Do you think you can handle that?"

Roxas gave him a nasty look in return. "Just get the data and I'll keep the cameras busy."

They silently broke their small huddle, using their urban surroundings to remain hidden from the cameras that they knew were perched atop the posts of the front gate. They skirted around the edges of the property until they found a less open area to sneak in, the lawn was guarded by an iron wrought black fence. Roxas slipped between the bars easily, taking hold of Axel's arm and yanking him through; the man's barrel chest making it difficult for him to squeeze through without effort.

The window was locked from the inside. The three of them crouched beneath the sill, making sure to keep out of sight. Riku pulled out a small object from his pocket. It looked to be nothing more than a tube with serrated levers built into the side. He pressed down on one of the levers and a small, translucent hook protruded from the end of the tube. Carefully he lodged the device under the window until an almost noiseless hiss notified them that the ionic lock had been scrambled.

Deftly Riku pulled the window open and slid into the mansion, his tan vest had been left on the ship and he nearly melded into the darkness. Roxas and Axel followed, closing the window behind them and headed for the stairs. Roxas could hear his heartbeat pound in his ears as he followed Axel as quietly as he could up the winding flight of stairs. He tried to breathe silently, but even the smallest noise or breath seemed exponentially loud in the thick silence of the mansion.

Axel ducked into a corner, right next to a dusty bust of a man, placed precariously on an end table. Roxas nestled into the nook with the redhead, too afraid to think twice about their close proximity. Axel tapped twice on his wrist and Roxas pulled back the sleeve of his black jacket to reveal a watch similar to Riku's. It was too dark for Roxas to read the face, but Axel simply glanced at it and nodded, signaling for them to stay where they were. They couldn't get much further without the distraction.

Roxas pulled his hood over his sunshine yellow hair and kept his head down. He was trying his best not to notice how warm Axel was against him.

-o-

A small crowd had gathered in the square to watch Demyx's "will play for food" concert. Kairi glanced down at her arm, the built-in, military issued, watch shining up at her. She closed the hatch in the armor and touched Xion's shoulder, making the humanoid snap her attention away from the musician. "Let's go Xion."

Xion nodded, stiffly following Kairi through the small crowd of people. Kairi walked calmly through the alleyways, a hand clenched harshly on the hilt of her weapon. She scooped up a few rocks as they went, tossing them up every so often and catching them with a malicious glint in her purple eyes.

"You remember the plan, Xion?" she asked, although she knew it was unlikely that Xion had forgotten anything. The humanoid girl nodded in response, her dark blue eyes roaming the beginnings of the mansion in the distance. Slowly they came to the tall, imposing black fence. Kairi regarded it briefly before they both squeezed their way through it and onto the lawn.

The redheaded woman paced back and forth a couple of times before her hand tightened around the rocks and she threw them at the nearest window. "Down with Larxene!" she shouted as the glass shattered. Two alarms tripped and Kairi grinned as a nearby camera locked onto them. "Why do you live in such wealth when those around you lie in squalor?"

A whistling noise resounded from inside, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from somewhere nearby. "Roxas begins resuming route," Xion said, her hands lying limp at her sides, as if the imminent danger bothered her not.

Kairi smiled as she unsheathed her baton, falling into a familiar defensive stance. "There they are!" someone shouted. "Detain them!" Everything was going to plan, then.

"Are you ready for a fight, Xion?" she asked rhetorically, her eyes dangerous. "We have the advantage – they won't try and kill us at first!" With that, she leapt forward at the first man in thick blue body armor that rounded the corner, swinging around and thrusting her baton into the small space between his armored collar and his helmet.

"W-what the…? What's going on?" one of the guard shouted as the man fell into a crumpled heap onto the ground.

Slowly Xion began to lumber forward, her head tilted downwards as she peered through her dark hair. "Less of you that live," she said; her voice hauntingly low as she began to reach for the nearest guard, "is longer that Roxas will live…"

-o-

Demyx could have sworn he heard a stifled scream in the distance, but he played it off as his imagination and continued his song. His fingers sought memorized chords on the strings of sitar on their own accord. This was probably the easiest meal he'd ever made in his entire life. There was actually quite the crowd gathering, and he wished with fervor that he'd brought his bit scanner to collect some extra tips.

The muscular Genetic, Cloud, had disappeared not too long ago, running his gloved hands through his thick blond hair and uttering something under his breath. But he was content that the small brunet from the group was still in the crowd, teetering back and forth on the balls of his feet.

As one of his songs came to a close, a tall, buff brunet approached the little knot of people that surrounded him, a massive sword strapped threateningly to his back. "Where are they?" the stranger growled loudly, his hand rising to clasp the hilt of his gleaming sword. A strange question, Demyx thought as he glanced around in confusion, but the crowd seemed to shiver collectively as a low murmur broke out amongst them. The man's face soured at the lack of response. A nasty scar marred his otherwise smooth features and Demyx noted it duly. He saw people like this all the time on Skosmos.

"Who?" Demyx ventured sheepishly. He held his sitar close as the man took a few steps closer. Sora shied away, nearly vanishing into the outskirts of the gathered people. The tall man pressed his scowling face towards Demyx's, his stormy gray eyes examining the blond closely. The musician frowned, hugging his sitar tighter. "You ever heard of personal space?" he asked irritably before he could catch himself.

The intimidating brunet opened his mouth to retaliate hotly, when the force of an explosion ricocheted from a few of the nearby alleys. Reflexively Demyx covered an ear with his free hand. "What the heck was that?"

A woman screamed, her brown hair was matted to her head and she clutched a child no more than three years old to her hip. "Oh God! The bank! The bank is on fire!"

A ripple of fear tore through the crowd. Demyx stared blankly in the direction of flames blooming from over the rooftops. It wasn't like he had money to begin with, but the sudden burst of energy that swept over the people surrounding him, was enough to make him feel suppressed and suffocated. He ducked down and pressed a hand over his mouth as the crowd began rushing towards the fire – a simple minded mob mentality washing over them. There was too much, too many – he thought he was going to puke.

"Demyx… Demyx, c'mon, we need to get out of here." The small brunet was next to him, nearly crawling on the ground to avoid legs and feet that didn't see him attempting to pass through their path. Demyx breathed in deeply to calm himself, silently thanking the brunet for staying. "Demyx… please…"

Sora's breath hitched suddenly. "_You_!" the tall stranger boomed, pulling his sword from its sheath. "Tell me where he is before I cut you to pieces!"

The small Aven panicked. His hands shook as he grasped Demyx's arm, trying to right himself as quickly as he could to run in the opposite direction. The man raised his sword, a snarl on his lips before slicing downwards; quick and precise. With inhuman reflexes, Demyx shoved Sora away from the steel swipe and he fluidly stood like the rising tide, his jacket swirling above his feet with the movement. His icy eyes narrowed as he held his sitar before him, his hand floating precariously above the strings of his fret.

The air itself seemed to writhe in the few tense moments that the two men shared a stare. The muscular brunet shifted back into an offensive stance, his boot grinding against the broken concrete beneath him. Demyx sucked in another calming breath, preparing himself. "Run away!" And with that he bolted after Sora, picking up the small Aven by an arm, his fingers digging painfully into the brunet's armpit, and dragged him along.

"You're not going anywhere…" The brunet held out his sword, a small keychain at the end of the hilt swinging up and clicking against the metal melodiously. Demyx could feel the energy pooling behind him, and he cursed Genetics with every fiber of his being. His stomach wrenched and he skid to a stop, turning around and forcing the small brunet to stand behind him.

Running with a gun to your back wouldn't help a damn thing – and hell, if he was going to die, he'd at least like to see it coming. The massive ball of energy hummed as it quickly and steadily built power until the tall brunet deemed it lethal enough, and launched it with a jerk of his sword arm.

Sora cried out from behind Demyx, while the blond musician let his eyes unfocused as he took in a steady breath, staring down the whirling globe that hurtled towards his chest. But a flash of silver and a body eclipsed the energy orb, snapping Demyx's view back into focus.

Cloud stood in front of him, all of his swords linked into one and his stance low and powerful as he fought with the mass of energy. His sword emitted its own electrical field, barely repelling the incoming energy with an opposite force. Cloud grunted, spending more and more stored energy to push the ball away and into the face of a nearby building.

"W-what…?" Sora breathed from behind Demyx, clutching at his jacket as if he were a child hiding behind his mother. "C-Cloud!"

The blond Genetic heaved, his shoulders falling and rising with every exaggerated breath he took. "It's you," he puffed out, holding out his sword towards the tall brunet man. "Squall Leonhart."

Leon quirked a cocky smile. "And you," he returned, letting his own sword fall lower as he pushed a few locks of brunet hair from his face. "The one helping to harbor my bounty…"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The blond's face was grim as he chanced a quick look at the looming clock on a pole down the lane. They still had to buy a few more minutes of time…

Sora glanced at his own watch, his stomach plummeting. He yanked on Demyx's jacket, garnering the musician's attention quietly. "We need to get out of here," he whispered urgently, winding his fingers into the fabric of the jacket. He cut off any protest Demyx had by tugging the man along, holding up four fingers to Cloud as they ran into a dark alley.

Cloud swallowed anxiously. Four minutes. "This won't be like last time," he said evenly, forcing every muscle in his body to relax before building up a capacity to unleash more energy when it was needed.

Leon had watched the two run off with a scowl, but he wasn't stupid enough to let down his guard and chase them. "No, you're right. I won't go as easy on you this time." He lifted his sword, the purple light of Skosmos flooding the scene with a haunted feeling. "Prepare to die."

Cloud said nothing as the brunet attacked, steeling himself for battle. As the first clang of metal on metal resounded throughout the small square, Cloud only hoped that he wouldn't fail those he cared about again.

-o-

Roxas bit his lower lip as they snuck up to the top floor. Everything had gone unnaturally quiet once the alarms in the lawn had been tripped. Only the sound of shallow breathing between him and Axel, and a miniscule buzzing noise that most likely came from a nearby generator, reached his hyposensitized ears.

The darkness hung like thick cobwebs in the corridors and corners. He almost had trouble seeing the tops of his dirty shoes as he walked cautiously behind Axel, who crept along as if it were daylight. Axel suddenly took a sharp turn into an unusually dark room, completely disappearing from the Aven's view. Roxas faltered, taking a hesitant step towards the wall of darkness before simply stopping. There was something definitely _wrong _about the room.

Axel reappeared from the dark, giving Roxas an impatient glare. "Come on," the redhead whispered quietly; so quietly that under normal circumstances it would have been inaudible, but it was almost like a scream in the strange silence of the mansion. Roxas swallowed thickly, nodding his head once firmly as if to convince himself, but his feet refused to obey his mind.

They were running out of time – the seconds ticked by steadily as he fought with his conscience. Angrily Axel reached out, grabbing Roxas by the wrist, none too gently, and pulling him into the room. The darkness that surrounded them was almost overbearing as the world that he could see became drastically narrowed to a simple inch or two in front of his face.

Axel's hand was hot on his skin as they crossed the room, unpleasant jolts of fear and something else he couldn't describe jittering through his limbs. They moved to the very corner of the room, where Axel pressed himself against the wall and measured three careful feet inwards before squatting down, dropping his hold on Roxas' wrist in favor of cupping his hands together for Roxas to step into.

For a few brief moments Roxas collected himself. This was it, once he was up, it was just a matter of time and skill – and he had plenty of skill. He stepped into Axel's hands, pressing his chest close to the wall and allowing his hands to diligently crawl upwards, like spiders searching in the bleakness, as Axel slowly lifted him as if he weighed almost nothing.

It felt almost as if he were floating in a never ending abyss as he inched up the wall. It was both a feeling he adored and feared. Finally his fingers found the edge of an opening above his head and he grasped for it, pulling himself into the small box-shaped hole as quietly as he could with Axel's help.

The vent was darker than he had presumed and he frowned. It seemed foolish to keep a back up terminal in such a difficult spot to reach – why would anyone be up in the vents in the first place? He groped around the walls and the floor, feeling around for anything that might be a security panel, growling lowly in frustration. After a few frantic moments he slid back to the edge, poking his head out from the vent mostly because he knew Axel could see the frustration on his face even though he could barely see his own hand.

"Axel," he whispered out into the darkness angrily. "I can't find it. It's too fucking dark."

He thought he could hear the redhead shift somewhere below him. "Just turn on a flashlight," was the urgent response. He nodded and ducked back into the vent.

Carefully he fumbled through his jacket pockets and produced his Commune, its familiar weight in his hands a relief. He had memorized every inch of infused plastic and plasma screen over the years. He turned the screen towards the ground and switched it on, the sudden glare of light against the pitch dark burned his eyes and he looked away, a purplish glare in his vision.

Without warning there was a loud whirring noise and something mechanical began churning somewhere nearby. Quickly he crawled back towards the exit of the vent. Axel cursed loudly, shattering the silent sanctum, "Fuck, fuck! Roxas, there's a fucking laser turret! Shit, fuck, help me up there!"

Roxas could hear the sound of the mechanism exciting and his body quaked in fear. There wasn't a second to spare for fright, he had to act, and he had to do it _now_. Instinctively he fell onto his chest and let his arms dangle down the wall. He still couldn't see more than a few inches in front of his face, but he trusted that Axel wouldn't be thrown into such a panic that easily.

Axel grasped his hands firmly and it was all Roxas could do to keep from sliding down and falling head first to the ground. The redhead used Roxas similar to a rope until he could reach the ledge and pulled himself up, scrambling further into the vent before turning around and yanking Roxas in deeper by his ankles.

The blond was about to give a displeased shout in surprise when a piercing screech roared past Roxas' ear, stopping with a blinding flash and a simmering sizzle of scorched metal. The laser hit the spot where the Aven's hand had been not moments before. Roxas shuddered and hurried back into the vent, pressing his Commune to his chest. "What the hell happened?" he demanded, shivering involuntarily.

Axel's face was somewhere nearby, as he could feel the redhead's hot breath travel across his cheek. He tried to pay it no heed. "I have no fucking idea… But it has heat-sync targeting. We're pretty much screwed until it's offline."

Roxas frowned heavily, looking down at his nestled Commune with a frown. "Light…" he murmured as he processed their bleak situation. There had to be a way out. Goddess there had to.

"…What?" The redhead sounded upset – and maybe a bit worried, but Roxas couldn't tell without seeing his face.

The Aven lay back down on his stomach, holding his Commune screen to the floor to block the bright light it emitted. "Axel, listen. I have to find that terminal – it's got to be somewhere around here." Slowly he inched forward, combat crawling across the floor. He was both glad and upset that Axel didn't try and stop him, because if he had, Roxas definitely would have changed his mind.

Determined, he groped along the wall, feeling around for anything that felt irregular or out of place. He pressed his head down low to the ground, hoping for the best when his fingers ran along what felt like an indentation. "Ax… Axel," he breathed, "Can you see anything from there? Where my hand is?"

There was an uncertain silence before the redhead finally responded, "Yeah. Looks like a panel… Roxas what are you doing? Are you fucking nuts? You'll get back in its line of sight."

Roxas grimaced, curling up slightly and tugging off his shoe. "Yeah," he mumbled, "Yeah… I probably am." He chucked his shoe out into the room, quickly pulling his Commune from the floor, letting the light wash over the panel. There was a tense buildup of energy before the turret fired, a long, lethal laser bolt following the shoe and burning it into the ground where it fell.

Bile rose from his stomach like a poison and he plastered himself to the ground just as he managed to pry open the secret panel. The turret shot into the corner of the vent, a wave of heat passing over Roxas' head momentarily. Axel cursed, backing further into the vent. With fumbling fingers Roxas pried off his other shoe and threw it as hard as he could before turning his attention back to the panel. A simple "Enter Your Password" screen popped up in a dull, luminescent orange color.

He moved slowly, hoping to deter the turrets sensors as he connected his Commune to the terminal, activating his scrambler. As the device did its work, he backed away slowly, letting out a long breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Why throw your shoes?" Axel asked after a confounding moment of silence.

Roxas gave him what he hoped was a sidelong glance. "You said it's heat-synced… My shoes were still warm. The only other thing I could've thrown was you."

"I'm surprised you didn't try." The redhead's tenor voice was gruff with emotion that Roxas couldn't identify. It sounded almost like resent.

The blond shook his head. "Do you really think I'm stupid enough to think I can get out of this place alone?" He snorted to himself. "I'd rather just get new shoes when this is all over with – those one's were old anyway…" The blood of innocents from Alkatoj was on those shoes, he recalled solemnly. Maybe it was about time he got rid of them anyway… it was time to move on and get out of the past.

Axel blew out a frustrated breath. "That was almost profound," he muttered.

The Commune clicked, displaying "ACCESS GRANTED" proudly on the screen. With a sigh he crawled forward once more, his hands shaking with post-adrenaline. Expertly his fingers trailed along the touch screen keyboard, dragging bits of data back and forth, working until he found what he was looking for.

His near-feminine features fell down in a harsh frown. "I can't put the turret offline," he said angrily. "It's tied up with too many alarms; someone will be bound to notice." He glanced at the time – two more minutes to go. An evil glint sparked in his blue eyes. "Axel, do you think we can get out of this place through these vents?"

"Hmm…" Axel tapped the wall in thought. "Yeah… Yeah, I bet we could. This one should stretch towards the back rooms – where there should be a fire escape somewhere nearby."

Roxas nodded, tapping a few things on the luminescent screen. "There… It should attack on sight now… blocking out all control from all other security terminals… and good luck – bastards."

Axel chuckled softly, still highly mindful of the noise level. Roxas shuffled back, letting out a sigh of relief. "What about the security cameras?"

"Already wiped and replaying images from a few hours earlier." He tucked his Commune back into his jacket pocket. "How about we get out of here… we're already thirty seconds over our time."

The redheaded man rubbed his temples with two long fingers. Roxas glanced around, squinting his big eyes in the dark. Sometimes he forgot that there were people who couldn't see in the dark like he could, his pupils expanding unnaturally to absorb ten times more light than was considered average. "Yeah… Xion should be able to find you, right? Let's just get back to the ship and pretend this didn't go so terribly."

Roxas nodded. "Sounds like a good plan to me." He ran a nimble hand through his curly hair – it was definitely getting too long now. "Hopefully everyone else fared better than we did."

Axel only grunted in agreement, rousing to his hands and knees and moving next to Roxas, pressing his shoulder against the Aven's. "Just stick next to me. I'll let you know when there are turns or dips…"

-o-

Kairi heaved in exhausted breaths, her muscles screaming in protest as she unleashed attack after attack on the seemingly limitless number of guards that stormed the lawn. But the guards were thinning out, giving her and Xion more room to maneuver in as she kept moving sporadically, and dodging plasma fire. Never had she wished for her helmet than now.

Xion continued at a steady pace, crushing anyone that dared get in her way or was too slow to avoid her lightening grip. The plasma bullets simply deflected from the humanoid, leaving little less than black pocks on her synthetic skin. She caught a man by his arm, wrenching his gun from his hands and snapping his elbow. As the man screamed in either pain or fear, Xion reached for his throat with a blood coated hand.

Silence suddenly came to the ears of the two women as the guard fell to the ground in a mangled heap. Bodies of both the dead and unconscious littered the once perfectly manicured lawn.

The crunch of boots on stiff grass caught the women's attention and they both dropped into defensive stances. A tall, thin woman with yellow blonde hair slicked back stepped casually over a corpse, her endless blue eyes examining the carnage around her with a hint of boredom. "Well, now… What's this? My guards must be highly incompetent if they can't kill two little girls." She grinned wolfishly, smoothing down her blue blouse with a milky hand. "But – I can tell, you're not normal little girls…" Her eyes turned sharp. "Isn't that right…? Kairi?"

The redheaded soldier dropped lower, a snarl on her normally cheerful face. "Where is she, Larxene?" Kairi ground out, seething in raw anger that was so uncharacteristic of her. Her body trembled with exhaustion, but she forced herself to shift her weight, constantly ready to move and strike at a moment's notice. "Where!"

Larxene laughed; her head falling back as she roared in good humor – the stench of iron and death wafting around them. "Wouldn't you just _love _to know?" she bellowed, her smile sharp on her already angular face. She reached into her pocket, producing several knives, each one held firmly between the knuckles of her fingers. Casually she licked one of the blades, her eyes watching the redheaded woman carefully. "What makes you think I'd tell you, brat?"

Kairi snapped. Her purple eyes hazed over as her pent up anger exploded within her small body. "I'll _kill _you!" she howled, leaping for the blonde, her weapon brandished.

A massive smile stretched across Larxene's face as she watched. Light pink lips contrasted against black metal. "Let's just see you try."

-o-

**A/N:** /phew! Thank you, guys! Thanks so much for reading, and thank you to the ones that reviewed last chapter! :) It's overwhelming knowing that there are still people who remember this story after such a long time! :D I also want to thank those that got on my case about updating! Sometimes I just need a swift kick in the ass to get motivated. ;D

And as always, thank you to **Lucia-luce **for beta-ing this mofo! She is the bomb-diggity. That's right, I totally said that. :D


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